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COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT 




GEORGE ANDREW LEWIS 

U l"etrdt f Mteh^lfiSr ?? P*^' ,^ ndpaI ° f The Lewis Sch ° o1 <"° r Stammerers 
an Tr ,;! c, Pract 1C al Trearment of Stammering." -The Origin 

\u,r el I n T/TV', 1 ^ , Meth ° l1 0f Attack for Stammerers.- etc. 
W.me.l Go | d M la| by the Louisiana Purchase Expositio „ for the 

excellency of Ins methods of instruction and treatment For 
the permanent cure of Stammering and Stuttering. 



HOMEfURE 
STAMMERERS 



BY 

GEORGE ANDREW LEWIS 

(An inveterate stammerer for more than twenty years) 

Originator of The Lewis Phono-Metric Method for the Cure of Stam- 
mering and Stuttering, Founder and Principal of the Lewis School for 
Stammerers, Author of "The Practical Treatment of Stammer- 
ing," "The Origin and Treatment of Stammering," "The 
Stammerer's Guide," "Method of Attack for Stam- 
merers;" awarded a Gold Medal by the Louisiana 
Purchase Exposition. 



A compilation of extended views and advice by forty writers and 
authorities on the subject of Stammmering and Stutter- 
ing, with specific directions for Home 
Treatment and Cure. 



DETROIT 

GEORGE ANDREW LEWIS 

1907 



A 



MADE BY 

WINN & HAMMOND 

DETROIT, MICH. 






LIBRARY of CONGRESS) 
Two Copies Received 
MAY 17 190f 

Copyright Entry 

(ZflAJ3.t<?0? 

CUSS Cl~ XXc„ No. 

COPY B. 



COPYRIGHTED 1907 

BY 

GEORGE ANDREW LEWIS 

DETROIT, MICH. U. S. A. 



{All rights reserved) 



PREFACE 

It is the author's aim in compiling this book to give to 
speech sufferers, stammerers and stutterers the world 
over, and to preserve for their benefit for the future, 
the best advice, instruction, and treatment considered best 
in the cure of stammering and stuttering which has 
appeared in print during many years. 

So little of value relating to the subject, other than the 
instruction contained in the books the author has published, 
being obtainable, it is to be hoped the opinions expressed 
will be carefully weighed by the reader. Great benefit 
must surely result from painstaking study and application. 

The opinions of the writers differ in many cases; 
because of this fact the reader is offered an opportunity 
to judge each view separately, and can make the book a 
valuable guide for Home Instruction and Cure. 

No two cases of stammering present like manifesta- 
tions. No two stammerers are alike in disposition. It is 
largely because of this, owing to the probability that each 
writer has based his judgment wholly upon the manifesta- 
tion of stammering in only a few cases, that such widely 
different views are expressed. 

The reader should carefully study each view separately, 
thereby profiting by the advice which may seem applicable 
to his or her particular case. The author, who has carefully 
compiled the views herein contained, urges the need of 
application in carrying out the principles suggested. He 
feels satisfied, from long years of experience in the treat- 
ment of stammering, it is not knowledge altogether that 
is required. A knowledge of correct theories is required, 
but coupled with this knowledge there is also required 
much practice. Without practice in the execution of 
the advice suggested, all study will be in vain. 



4 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

To those who have contributed toward making this 
book of helpful instruction for the stammerer possible, the 
author feels deeply indebted and grateful. Their words 
of cheer and encouragement have helped him along the 
road in his life-work of loosening the stammerer's tongue. 
Their opinions, variously set forth, will bear fruit in the 
alleviation of the stammerer's woes for a generation to 
come. To more than one hundred and fifty thousand 
stammerers and stutterers with whom the author has per- 
sonally corresponded, to speech sufferers the world over, 
to thousands who have been treated under his instruction, 
this book is respectfully submitted. 

George Andrew Lewis 



CONTENTS 

Preface 3 

The Treatment of Stammering and Stuttering 

from Every Known Cause 7 

The Value and Relation of Physical, Breathing 
and Vocal Exercises to Methods for the Cure 
of Stammering 88 

Cures for Stammering 101 

An Analysis of the Mental Condition of Stam- 
mering with Practical Suggestions for Home 

Cure 109 

What is Stammering? 126 

The Cure of Stammering 144 

Advice for Self-Cure . . . 153 

Stammering — A Lack of Will Power .... 169 

Stammerers and Stammering 183 

A Theoretical Discussion of Speech Defects . 196 

How Shall They Believe? 218 

A Stammerer's Advice to Stammerers .... 230 

Helpful Hints for Home Cure 239 

A Lay Sermon 249 

Encouragement for Stammerers 255 

A Practical Discussion of Stammering .... 265 
Stammering — Its Effects and Treatment . , . 272 
Stammering, a Nerve-Destroying Habit .... 279 
Mental Helps for Stammerers 287 



6 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

A Stammerer's View of Stammering and Stut- 
tering ....... 293 

Pointed Advice to Stammerers 297 

Treatment for Stammering 301 

The Experience of a Stammerer 306 

How Can Stammering be Cured? 313 

Practical Advice 317 

Suggestions for the Stammerer's Benefit . . . .321 
Stammering and Stuttering — Cause and Cure . 328 
Stammering, a Want of Harmonious Action . . 332 

The Trials of a Stammerer 336 

Making the Best of Opportunities 340 

How to Cure Stammering 343 

Facts and Theories 350 

The Eradication of Stammering 356 

Volitive Region in Stammerers 363 

Help for the Stammerer 367 

Do Stammerers Lack Individuality? 371 

The Common Sense View of Stammering and its 

Treatment 375 

Mental Emotion in the Experience of a Reformed 

Stammerer 386 

Correcting Speech Defects 391 

Stammering Psychologically Considered .... 395 
Stammering a Psychic Derangement .... 399 
The Evolution of a Stammerer 411 



THE TREATMENT OF STAMMERING AND STUT- 
TERING FROM EVERY KNOWN CAUSE 



By George Andrew Lewis 



The causes that lead to the development of stammering 
and stuttering are numerous. At the head of the list 
stand heredity, mimicry, sickness, fright, and carelessness. 
These causes are productive of types as varied and diver- 
sified as are the many types of man. 

From remote ancestry those of the present generation 
have inherited impulses which predispose the individual 
to certain mental, moral or physical conditions. Thus 
arises in the character and general makeup of the stam- 
merer much that is hard to understand, and in some cases 
inexplicable. So many varied influences are multiplied 
in every being that it is difficult to discriminate between 
the effects of heredity and the influence of environment. 

A certain mental or moral strain not in itself conducive 
to stammering may be inherited from some distant ances- 
tor. This hereditary tendency, foreboding no evil in 
itself, coming in contact with certain physical conditions, 
precipitates an unfortunate combination whence may 
arise serious speech difficulties. The manifestation of the 
difficulty may be either stammering or stuttering. 

One cause which may lead to the condition of stammer- 
ing is the impairment of nerve centers through some ner- 
vous disease by which the mental and moral fibre is 
weakened. In considering the subject of stammering and 
stuttering there is an error to be avoided : it is a mistaken 
notion that this affliction is directly inherited from some 



8 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

ancestor. What is inherited is a disposition to stam- 
mer or a tendency to stutter. Much in one's make up, 
such as timidity, impulsiveness, extreme sensitiveness and 
nervous excitability may be inherited. One with such a 
temperament is more liable to stammer than one whose 
nature is stolid and phlegmatic. 

Therefore, it is worth while to keep in mind, as we 
consider the various causes for stammering and the types 
which occur, that stammerers are not born, but made. 
Through heredity comes only the predisposition to stam- 
mer. "Stammering," says Klencke, "is not independent, it 
is not a disease in itself. It is in every case a symptom, 
only a reflection of a predominating mental and physical 
desire." 

When an individual says his stammering is due to ner- 
vousness, he expresses what to his mind is true. He has 
stammered so long he has lost the relationhip between 
cause and effect. It is, in a measure, true that the disease, 
stammering, and its symptoms are, each in turn, cause 
and effect. 

It seems logical to speak of heredity and its influence 
thus early, for so many types of stammering are trace- 
able in their development to the individual's predisposi- 
tion to stammer. 

Two great influences play each their powerful part in 
the making of individuals — these are heredity and envi- 
ronment. At times, it is puzzling to know just where the 
influence of heredity stops and that of environment 
begins. On the other hand, there is a fearful force 
wrought from the combination of these two ruthless 
powers. What the one has projected,, the other carries 
out. The whole subject presents such an appalling 
phase, it is an oft contested matter which is the stronger. 
When the hereditary tendencies are good and the environ- 
ment bad, we are fearful of the consequences. However, 
we occasionally brace our faith in the eventual result to 
character, by saying, "His hereditary tendencies are 
good." At another time, when wrack and ruin seem 



TREATMENT OF STAMMERING AND STUTTERING 9 

to be coming to one inheriting, as we suppose, right ten- 
dencies, we charge the wrongs heavily upon the force of 
environment. When the hereditary tendency is toward 
weakness in any direction, and the environment bad, there 
can be but one result anticipated. When the inherited 
tendency is bad and the environment the best, to a cer- 
tain extent normal conditions of body or mind may be 
approximated. This, however, is never certain. There is 
much to be feared. However, this is a subject on which 
there is a wide variation of opinion. Dr. Sydney B. 
Elliott, writing on prenatal influence, touches interest- 
ingly on the matter of heredity. "The circumstances 
which go to make him (man) what he is, whether it be 
a theologian, or a scape-grace, a mathematician or a 
fool, concern all. It is a subject of the utmost impor- 
tance "Information from the proper source 

must be disseminated through the most available chan- 
nels. The time when physicians kept the masses in 
darkness as to what was their most vital concern, either 
from ignorance or from selfishness on their own part, is 
past. Current literature opens up a wide avenue for 
a flow of vitalizing information to a needy public, and 
the true physician, who has the permanent welfare of 
the race at heart, will make use of every available means 
to help his fellow man in his struggle for a higher life." 

"Heredity is that law by which permanent and settled 
qualities of the parents, or of the more remote ancestors, 
reappear in the child. * * * * 

"It is a matter of every day note, that children of the 
same parents, born within a few years of each other, are 
often totally unlike in disposition and in physical attrib- 
utes. They may be not only unlike each other, but unlike 
the parents themselves." 

The longer one looks into the subject of heredity and 
its influence, the more seriously is one convinced of the 
subtle inexplicable part it plays in making for misery or 
happiness. Heredity is a grim master — it is relentless. 
It may slumber through one generation only to set its 



10 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

stamp upon the succeeding one. It may seem dormant 
through several generations only to assert itself either 
lineally or collaterally, in a much later generation. We 
must keep in mind, it is heredity that predisposes and 
then an immediate cause which produces stammering. In 
many cases where the cause is unknown there is possibly, 
way back, a progenitor with defective speech. Illness, 
mimicry or fright touch off the latent weakness into the 
full flame of a glaring defect. The farther back the 
defect, the safer is the child from the results of predis- 
position, all conditions in his own life and that of his 
parents being propitious. Seldom do the children of 
stammering parents escape some difficulty with their 
speech. 

ANCIENT NOTIONS REGARDING THE CURE 

Down to the middle of the nineteenth century the ideas 
for the treatment of stammering were, in many instances, 
vague and unformulated. To modern teachers, with the 
advanced methods of the present, the majority of the 
ancient teachers speak negatively. They are guideposts, 
telling them what to avoid, rather than whither to direct, 
their pupils under treatment. The history of the cure of 
stammering unfolds an interesting panorama, involving 
scenes ranging from those exhibiting cruelty of treatment 
to such ridiculous methods as excite our risibilities. The 
knife of the surgeon was active in the name of science, 
cutting out the various portions of the anatomy wherein 
the practitioners formerly thought lay the cause. Others, 
attributing the difficulty to nervousness, induced by 
derangement in the digestive tract, as a counter irritant, 
produced ulcers. Closely allied to this cure ( ?) was the 
poulticing of the head in order to draw the infection from 
the brain. Another, who charged a large amount for 
what would constitute speech-control, had his pupils inhale 
the odorous vapor from a decoction of herbs ! Many 
of these were earnest, honest seekers after relief — often- 



TREATMENT OF STAMMERING AND STUTTERING II 

times for themselves. When we stop to consider that only 
in comparatively recent times have certain physiological 
facts come to be understood, it is not strange that these 
early investigators should fall, in some instances, so far 
short of the mark. It is not three hundred years since 
Harvey discovered the circulation of the blood. Up to 
the time of his discovery, some very wise people held 
peculiar notions as to this interesting part of the physical 
economy. Thus, through centuries and cycles of time 
until very recent years, it has been a problem how to cure 
stammering. 

In the diagnosis of thousands of cases,* not one case 
have I found attributable to organic defect. Although it 
is possible for the functional difficulty and organic defects 
to be present in the same individual, stammering is not 
caused by a malformation of the organs of speech. 
Columbat, whose investigations extended to several hun- 
dred cases, found not one traceable to defective organs. 
This, and similar experiences of other authorities, would 
lead to the conclusion that the articulatory organs of 
stammerers and stutterers are normal. In use only do 
their organs of speech differ from those of individuals 
whose speech is facile and fluent. 

HIGH FEVER AND DELIRIUM 

Certain diseases induce stammering. Those eruptive 
and infectious diseases may be especially noted which are 
accompanied by high fever and delirium. Where there is 
a predisposition to stammer, a derangement of the func- 
tional powers of speech often follows. It is safe to say 
that a system, weakened by any disease which depletes the 
nervous stamina, is in a condition to be attacked by stam- 
mering. 

Whatever injures the nervous system by sudden shock, 
whatever induces weakness and lack of nerve control, 



*I have corresponded with more than one hundred and fifty thou- 
sand persons who stammer. 



12 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

lowering the mental and physical tone, if one has inher- 
ited tendencies to stammer, opens the door to stammering. 
Sudden fright, brain difficulty, scrofula, diphtheria, scar- 
let fever and many other eruptive diseases, especially if 
accompanied by fever, are liable to result in stammering. 
However, it is worth while to note that the fever accom- 
panying those diseases appears to be responsible for the 
disturbance in speech functions. Moreover, stammering 
comes only after the delirium attendant with the fever. 

This forcibly strengthens the position which I hold in 
respect to stammering, making it all the more apparent 
that it is a disease of the mind. Investigation proves that, 
in those who become stammerers through illness, there 
existed a predisposition in that direction. Had not illness 
lowered their vitality, these persons would, probably, never 
have become the victims of their inherited tendency. 
Exhausted vitality and depleted energy weaken the motive 
power. This motive power, which was never excessive in 
these persons, was necessary for the equilibrium of con- 
trol, and the loss of it was conducive to the development 
of the hereditary tendency. 

HARMFUL EFFECTS OF MIMICRY 

Conscious and unconscious imitation have added largely 
to the afflicted number of stammerers. A large percentage 
of those suffering form this malady, attribute their sad 
condition to mimicry or imitation. My experience, 
through personal contact and through correspondence 
with many suffering from speech defects, confirms 
what leading authorities state: that stammering or stut- 
tendering, induced or aggravated as the result of imitation, 
or mimicry, is, in severe cases, difficult to cure. Charles 
Kingsley, the eminent divine of the Church of England, 
who was through part of a life time a severe stammerer, 
tells of the dire effects of mimicry. Very often children 
are made life-long stammerers by being thrown in contact 
with others thus afflicted. One frightful stammerer whom 



TREATMENT OF STAMMERING AND STUTTERING 13 

Canon Kingsley knew, was made such by listening, when 
seven years of age, to a lawyer in a court of justice. This 
man's attempts at utterance were painful to behold, and 
every effort characterized by wretched contortions, made 
a deep impression upon the brain of the sensitive little 
child, whose condition had been made the more impres- 
sionable by brain fever, from which it had recently recov- 
ered. Others have fallen victim to the power of mimicry 
by "taking off" eccentric stammering characters upon the 
stage, or have themselves enacted these character parts, 
only to awaken some day to find themselves in the class 
of sufferers they were holding up to ridicule. 



OVERTAXING OF THE MENTAL FACULTIES 

Overtaxing of the mental faculties of precocious little 
children, frequently causes stammering. The parents are 
fascinated with the charming manner in which the little 
minds grasp and hold difficult words and sentences. The 
next step is the oftentimes thoughtless subjection of these 
little ones to the strain of learning long selections. These 
sound so quaint and cunning coming from such diminu- 
tive personages. Thus oftentimes, unwittingly, some one 
is accountable for definite injury to the brain of the sensi- 
tive child; undue excitement is produced and the speech 
centers of the brain are affected disastrously. 

With the exception of the inherited condition, probably 
the gravest form of stammering is that which acompanies 
a depleted, exhausted condition of the whole system. Chil- 
dren who have developed too rapidly, who are overgrown 
and who, therefore, lack sufficient vital supply, are liable 
to this severe form of stammering. Their debilitated, 
nervous condition, manifested in tremor and lack of con- 
trol, is very receptive to stammering when there is an 
inherited tendency. 



14 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

WRONG HABITS LIKE RANK WEEDS THRIVE AND DEVELOP AS 

IF BY MAGIC 

Mothers have often written to me asking for advice for 
training their chillren, who evidenced a tendency to stam- 
mer. Carelessness in the training of children at a tender 
age is responsible for much misery and suffering. Parents 
who neglect a stammering child, unknowningly commit a 
sin that in truth may be visited "unto the third and 
fourth generation." 

There are numerous cases of stammering which are 
caused by the neglect of those who should be responsible 
for the education and training of the child, or by the 
carelessness of the individual himself. Wrong habits, 
like rank weeds, thrive and develop as if by magic. The 
child or adult, not realizing the importance of clear and 
distinct enunciation, stumbles along and utters his words 
imperfectly. Hesitation, mispronunciation and slurring 
of syllables are all followers of carelessness and neglect. 
There arises a diffidence about attacking words difficult to 
pronounce. The purpose of speech, the clear conveyance 
of ideas, has no place in the mind of the stumbler, the 
vocal organs become rigid, when they should be pliable 
and responsive, the moral mastery of speech is eventually 
lost and a stammerer is the result. 

DEGREES OF AFFLICTION IN STAMMERING 

The extent or degree of stammering expresses itself 
over a long scale of graduation, and the two great factors 
concerned in the balance of control are, mental emotion 
and motive power. Upon the proportion which these two 
forces maintain in relationship to each other, depends the 
degree of difficulty in speech production. Moreover, 
there exist as many degrees of difficulty in this long scale 
as there are individuals afflicted with stammering, for, 
as there are no two persons alike in all particulars, each 
differing according to the constituents of his character 
and physiognomy, so no two persons suffer in exactly the 



TREATMENT OF STAMMERING AND STUTTERING 15 

same way from stammering. One stammerer, because of 
his peculiar temperament, betrays his defect in one way, 
while another is influenced in an entirely different man- 
ner. One speaks with the utmost ease when in the pres- 
ence of strangers, but finds it impossible to speak in the 
presence of his relatives and immediate friends. Another 
has experiences exactly the opposite. This one cannot 
address an audience, that one succeeds admirably in argu- 
mentative address, but seems unable to command his 
powers of speech at other times. While still another, 
stumbling and suffering from extreme difficulty when 
uttering his own thoughts, can quote the words of another 
with ease and fluency. 

Under certain conditions one of the worst forms of 
stammering manifests itself in muscular contractions, 
which amount at times to spasms, so abnormal and utterly 
without coordination are the workings of brain and 
muscle. 

One writer, treating of these contortions in attempts 
to speak, says : "In all the cases where the motor influ- 
ences of the brain and spinal chord are in a state of 
depression, the muscles of the body which they actuate 
become relaxed, and, consequently unequal to natural 
action; for where the will endeavors to actuate muscles 
thus situated, their first tendency is to a tremulous, uncer- 
tain action; the will, however, continues to press upon 
these muscles, thus already rendered irritable and hesi- 
tating, and the consequence is an excessive and spasmodic, 
instead of a natural action." 

BROCA'S CENTER SEAT OF SPEECH CONTROL 

Comparatively recent are the definite results in research 
as to the seat of control of the powers of speech. 

Eminent authorities everywhere concede that the ori- 
gin of stammering is in the brain. The stammerer's brain 
differs from that of the individual whose speech is normal, 
as to sensibility of fibre in those portions which have to 



1 6 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

do with speech control. This difference is noticed in 
comparing the results of mental activity. The portion of 
the stammerer's brain concerned in speech, is extremely 
sensitive to external influences. 

There are instances which confirm the opinion that 
the difference is one of sensibility rather than fibre. 
There are many persons, in no way addicted to stammer- 
ing, who, under excessive strain or shock, produced by a 
catastrophe, profound perplexity, or any temporary para- 
lyzing power, thus affected have stammered. As soon 
as the will and reasoning faculties return to equilibrium, 
the power of speech is easily regained. 

The controlling mental power in speech furnishes in 
itself a broad and fruitful field of study and research. 
Previous to 1861 there was much discussion as to what 
portion of the brain governed language. Then came the 
eminent French physician Broca with his theories con- 
cerning brain centers and the peculiar office of each. 
Wernicke also shares with Broca the honor of this dis- 
covery. 

Some of the leading phrenologists contest that the 
credit for the discovery of the speech motor area belongs 
not to Broca, but to Gall, who preceded Broca some years 
in this discovery. The phrenologists assert that modern 
physiologists have conspired to ignore Gall and his earlier 
work. To prove this point, they produce the illustrative 
plates which Gall used to demonstrate his theories. These 
certainly reveal a careful study of the brain, as do the 
numerous cases cited by Gall to prove localization of 
motor centers. 

However, it is not my purpose to enter into any argu- 
ment on these points. Those who are interested enough 
to pursue the investigation further, will find interesting 
data on the phrenological side of the question by reading 
the extensive volume by W. Matthieu Williams. Exhaus- 
tive testimony, as far as physiologists are concerned, 
awards the honor of the discovery of the localization of 
brain motor areas to Broca, while some divide the honor 



TREATMENT OF STAMMERING AND STUTTERING If 

between Broca and Wernicke. Concerning Broca, speech 
centers and the development of speech itself, it is the 
purpose of the author to quote here extensively from 
authorities eminent in their respective lines. 

HISTORY OF DISCOVERY OF SPEECH CENTERS 

*"In the year of 1861 Broca presented an epoch-making 
communication to the Paris Anatomical Society, which 
seemed to prove that the morbid anatomy of asphasia 
[loss or impairment of the power of using language, 
especially of articulate speech. — Standard Dictionary.'] 
was a lesion of the posterior part of the third convolu- 
tion. Before that time much speculation had been in- 
dulged in concerning the faculty of language. . 
At first, many of the most eminent minds in the profession 
refused to believe that the emissive speech faculty was 
confined to the left half of the brain. * * * Broca's 
communication opened a new era in the understanding 
of speech. * * * It may be said that Broca and 
Wernicke should be accorded equal parental rights in the 
interpretation of the complexity of symptoms included 
under the term aphasia to-day." 

THE CENTER OF SPEECH 

t"The center of articulate speech is, perhaps, one of 
the most definitely settled points in cerebral localization, 
and this is all the more interesting since this is the only 
sharply defined faculty which has, as yet, been definitely 
localized. * * * The credit of the great discovery 
that the center of articulate speech could be localized in 
the third convolution of the left anterior lobe of the cere- 
brum, is generally awarded to Broca. Some twenty-five 
years before, he made the profession alive to the investi- 

# "Faculty of Speech," Collins; chapter II., page 17. 
f'Thc Applied Anatomy of the Nervous System," Ambrose L. 
Ranney, A. M., M. D., page 32. 



1 8 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

gation of the subject. However, the same impairment 
or loss of speech was shown to be a frequent accompani- 
ment of hemiplegia [paralysis of one side of the body] of 
the right side of the body by Bouillard and Marc Dax; 
and in 1863 or thereabouts, the views of Broca and of 
Hughlings Jackson were given to the profession, in which 
they both limited the lesion of aphasia to the parts sup- 
plied by the left middle cerebral artery. In 1863 the in- 
vestigations also of the son of Marc Dax located the 
lesion somewhere in the anterior or middle portion of the 
frontal lobe of the left side, and the results of still more 
recent investigations upon the subject seem to point to 
the island of Reil as the most frequent seat of this pecu- 
liar type of paralysis. 

"Viewing the fact that articulate speech is a thing 
learned by use, it has been suggested that, in most per- 
sons, one side of the brain has been educated for that 
purpose, that we are, in fact, left-brained in respect to 
speech in the same way that we are right-handed in 
respect to many bodily movements." 

To show the uniformity of authoritative ideas regard- 
ing the most important facts concerning the governing 
centers of speech, I shall continue to quote freely, though 
these pages may seem redundant, the ground covered by 
the several authorities being nearly the same. 

t"Broca, in 1861, showed that motor aphasia was pro- 
duced by a lesion [any derangement or morbid condition 
of a function or organ] of the posterior part of the third 
left frontal convolution. Complete motor aphasia is 
almost always accompanied by paralysis of the right side 
of the body." 

$"The speech center is found in right-handed persons 
in the left hemisphere and comprises the posterior part 



fDiseases of the Nervous System," Oppenheim. 

Diseases of the Brain, Section III, page 396. 

Broca, p. 455. 

Mechanism of Speech, p. 458. 
J20th Century Practice of Medicine, Vol. X., p. 764, etc. 

Disorders of the Nervous System. 

"Disorders of Speech," Howell T. Pershing. 



TREATMENT OF STAMMERING AND STUTTERING 10, 

of the third frontal convolution, the first temporal con- 
volution, and perhaps the gyrus angularis (the center for 
supplementary sensations). The posterior part of the 
Ithird frontal convolution contains the motor speech 
centers, the region where concepts are converted into 
words. The posterior part of the right third frontal con- 
volution seems to have a minor part in the act of speech, 
— i. e., the place where the memory for the sound of the 
word exists. According to Flechsig, this center com- 
prises also the horizontal convolutions of the temporal 
lobe, which lies in the fossa sylvia (the roots of the first 
temporal convolution). The part which the gyrus angu- 
laris [one of the convolutions of the cortex of the brain,] 
is supposed to play in reading, will be described later. A 
special writing center probably does not exist. Charcot 
and Pites located it in the foot of the second frontal con- 
volution. It is doubtful if the island of Reil is involved 
in the central acts of speech. It probably contains con- 
ducting parts, which connect the motor with the sensory 
center of speech. Flechsig says that the island of Reil 
seems to be a center which connects the motor and sensory 
cortical zones involved in speech into a unit." 

According to Oppenheim, disorders of speech are better 
understood "by analyzing the mechanism of speech by 
means of a schematic representation. We must, however, 
remember that all diagrams are somewhat artificial, and 
that all forms of disease cannot be put into them. We 
are indebted to Wernicke, Lichtheim, Charcot, and others 
for schematic representations of speech. Though they 
do not entirely harmonize, they have shown us the way 
of acquainting ourselves with the mechanism of speech. 
Only the most important facts will be given. 

"K" in Fig. I (page 20) represents the center for the 
sound of words. The words enter the ear, pass along the 
acoustic tract from D and leave behind memory pictures in 
K. The workshop for the production of worls is at A. The 
sound of words stored up at K are imitated until a similar 
sounding word results. This occurs in A under control 



20 



HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 




of K, until finally the concepts of the vertical movements 
in A become so independent that they can be directly pro- 
duced from the concept center B. Many observations 
seem to indicate 
that the track B 
K A is used in 
spontaneo u s 
speech also. The 
conducting path 
connecting A and 
K appears to pass 
th rough the 
island of Reil. 
From A the im- 
pulses pass to the 
nuclei [a group 
of cells from 
which nerve 
fibres originate,] 
in the medulla 
oblongata, per- 
haps first to the 
cortical centers 
for the muscles 
of articulation at 
the foot of the 
the movements of the muscles of speech. For the 
sake of simplicity the concept center is regarded as being 
single, although this is not true. The formation of con- 
cepts is a complex process, and is connected with the 
whole cerebral cortex. 

"Verbal concepts, for instance, contain motor, visual 
and auditory memory pictures. The word bread is com- 
posed of a graphic picture, a sound picture, a motor 
memory picture for muscular movements needed to speak 
the word, and another one for the movements of the 
hand, ready to write it. * * * * * This shows that 
the concept of the concrete object is not connected with 



FIG. I. 



central convolution which govern 



TREATMENT OF STAMMERING AND STUTTERING 



21 



one center, but that it is fed by different mental spheres, 
by a summation of memory pictures of perceptions 
belonging to the senses and that it can be directly or 
indirectly executed through these." 

To further lucidate this interesting subject of speech 
centers, the accompanying diagram and description by 
Pershing of the acquisition of language by a child, may 
be studied with profit. 

THE ACQUISITION OF LANGUAGE BY A CHILD 

"Now, the meaning of a word is always the memory 
of a sensation or a group of sensations. The memory 
of the word red, for example, is the memory of the color 
red. It is one of the fundamental facts of psychology 
that if two sensations frequently occur at the same time, 




FIG. 2. 

DIAGRAM OF THE LEFT CEREBRAL HEMISPHERE 

A. Auditory Center. 
M. Motor-speech Center. 

G. Center of Coordination of movements of the right hand in 
writing. 

V. Visual Center. 



22 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

or in close succession, one of them occurring afterward 
alone, will recall the memory of the other. After a child 
has seen the color, red, and at the same time heard its 
name, the two sensations become associated. What was 
mere sound, now. revives the memory of a color, and so 
has a meaning. How can we picture this association 
as a physical process in the brain? Each time that the 
sensation red occurs the cortical visual center (see V, 
figure 2) is excited in a peculiar way and is left in such 
a condition that it will be more easily excited in the same 
way in the future. Moreover, as the nerve cells in this 
region are connected with other parts of the brain by 
nerve fibres, the excitation is not limited to them alone, 
but tends to arouse other centers, among these the audi- 
tory center, A. If A is excited at the same time by the 
sound of the word red, it also tends to excite other cen- 
ters through its connecting fibres, so there is a double 
excitation along the path, A V . The oftener this double 
process is repeated, the less resistence along the path 
A V , and the more ready each center is to respond to 
an impulse from the other. Finally the two centers 
become so related to each other that whenever the sound 
of the word is heard the auditory center sends to the 
visual center an impulse strong enough to excite it in 
the same way, although not so vigorously as the actual 
color would. Instead of the color sensation we have the 
memory of the idea of it, which is said to be associated 
with the sound of the word. The fibres connecting the 
two centers are called association fibres. Two associated 
ideas, however, do not necessarily exist in different 
centers; both are often in the same center, in which case 
association is said to be intra-central. 



TREATMENT OF STAMMERING AND STUTTERING 23 

THE UTTERANCE OF WORDS 

"After learning to understand a few words, the child 
begins to utter some of them. The simple movements of 
the vocal organs have already been acquired, and their 
cortical centers in the lowest part of the motor area are 
well developed. But to combine these movements so as to 
form articulate words, another center comes into action, 
the motor speech center or Broca's center, situated at 
the base of the left 3rd frontal convolution (see M, 
Fig. 2.) In it are stored the memories of the movements 
necessary for the articulation of each word. 

"To combine the elementary sounds into words, this 
center must, of course, control the action of the lower 
nerve centers for the vocal organs, that is, the motor 
nuclei of the 5th, 7th, 10th, nth, and 12th nerves. 
Whether this control is affected through a separate path 
leading directly to these nuclei or by regulating the action 
of the cortical centers for the simplest movements, which 
in turn control the nuclei, is not known. It is known, 
however, that the fibres conducting speech impulses to 
the nuclei pass through the internal capsule [an inclosing 
membrane,] where they frequently suffer injury. 

"The first utterances are imitations of words frequently 
heard by the child without any sense of their meaning. 
This imitative process is an acquired reflex. The audi- 
tory center, on perceiving the sound of the word, sends 
impulses to the motor-speech center, arousing it to send 
such impulses to the vocal organs as will cause the word 
to be uttered. It is important to note that the motor 
processes of speech develop only under the guidance of 
the auditory center. Deafness occurring in childhood 
not only prevents further progress in learning to talk, 
but up to the age of four years, and, in some cases, much 
later, it causes the loss of the power of articulation 
already acquired. On the other hand, the motor speech 
center has a very important influence upon the auditory 
center. The sound of a word is much more distinct when 



24 J30ME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

we remember its utterance, no doubt owing to association 
impulses passing backward from Broca's center to the 
auditory center." 

Further reading introduces us to the exhaustive 
treatises of **Gower and ***Gordinier, who write inter- 
estingly of Broca and the subject of speech control. 

CONFUSED NOTIONS WITH REGARD TO THE DIFFERENCE 
BETWEEN STUTTERING AND STAMMERING 

Before proceeding to a consideration of the more pro- 
nounced types of stammering manifested in the articula- 
tory organs, I shall endeavor to make clear the difference 
between stuttering and stammering — which, in combina- 
tion, frequently afflict the same individual. Concerning 
stuttering and stammering, there is a confusion of ideas 
in some minds and many otherwise well-informed persons 
use the terms stuttering and stammering interchangeably. 

The ideas concerning these two forms of functional 
speech disturbance have, probably, become confounded in 
consequence of the vast array of conditions presented by 
abnormal speech. These so dissimilar, have been congre- 
gated under one head or the other and subjected to one 
general treatment. 

So universal at one time was the ignorance of speech 
defects that all forms of stuttering and stammering were 
called stuttering. The investigators, trying to find a local 
cause for the difficulty, stimulated a craze which sought 
alleviation and freedom of speech at the hands of the 
surgeon. 

In its general acceptance now, stammering is a term 
embracing all the variations of both forms of abnormal 
speech. But this does not debar a distinction and spara- 
tion which may proceed through many degrees of the 
difficulty. 

# *W. R. Gower, M. D., F. R. C. P. 

•••Central Nervous System, Gordinier. 



TREATMENT OF STAMMERING AND STUTTERING 2$ 

Stuttering is engendered by nervous weakness and a 
poor physical condition generally, and manifests itself in 
lack of breath control and syllabication. The words and 
phrases are reiterated in nervous jerks. Stammering, on 
the other hand, is caused by disturbance in the brain 
centers or by a peculiar sensitiveness which manifests 
itself in excessive efforts to speak. In severe cases of 
stammering the facial muscles contract violently, distort- 
ing the features, the tongue works spasmodically, and 
in the worst types, the supreme but futile efforts to articu- 
late are manifested in bodily convulsions painful to 
witness. 

Stuttering is largely a physical trouble, by no means 
difficult to rectify. The average stutterer may be entirely 
cured by right treatment in a very short time, the stam- 
merer, on the other hand, suffers from a deeper, more 
complicated malady, which because of its lodgement in 
the brain is more difficult to eradicate. 

The exhaustive reading of many leading writers upon 
speech defects, together with a wide and varied experi- 
ence examining and treating thousands of cases of stam- 
mering and stuttering, brings the following deduction 
as to the difference between the two difficulties : 

Stuttering — A defect in respiration and vocalization, 
oftentimes causing spasmodic action or the rapid repeti- 
tion of one word or syllable before the following word 
can be uttered. 

Stammering — The inability under certain conditions to 
articulate or control the organs of speech which are usu- 
ally, under such circumstances, tightly held together, ac- 
companied in many cases by the substitution of one sound 
for another. 

In stammering, the difficulty arises from a certain de- 
ficiency or inability to control the organs of articulation. 

Stuttering is a comparatively simple condition, largely 
attributable to habit. Unlike the stammerer, the stut- 
terer is seldom subject to any contortion of the features 
and never to convulsions. 



26 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

Many severe cases of adult stammering have developed 
from stuttering children whom right methods, had they 
been understood, might have saved from years of inde- 
scribable misery. The stammerer never becomes a stut- 
terer. The sequence of development is, as stated, the 
physical trouble, unless alleviated, being liable to merge 
itself into a mental difficulty, the manifestation of which 
is stammering. In such cases, incessant stumbling and 
struggling and reiteration have destroyed confidence. 
Repeated failure has filled the brain with apprehension. 
Futility of efforts to speak has temporarily destroyed the 
stutterer's mental equilibrium. Lack of confidence be- 
comes habitual. Stuttering is indicated by hesitancy in 
pronouncing words or in the rapid repetition of words 
or whole phrases, while stammering manifests itself in 
the tendency to use synonyms, or in the avoidance of 
words presenting difficulties. 

When persons both stutter and stammer, difficulty 
characteristic of both impediments is manifest in their 
attempts at speech. The respiration is abnormal, the 
breath is taken in nervous gasps, the syllables are reiter- 
ated with marked rapidity at one time, while at others 
there seems to be a complete blocking of the avenues of 
speech. Agitation racks the nervous system and leaves 
the struggler exhausted. Thus we find the stutterer and 
stammerer is between Scylla and Charybdis. Should he 
escape one terror, another is ready to thwart and over- 
throw him. What wonder that many a one thus afflicted 
is old before his time or dwarfed in hope and aspiration 
until there comes to him the good news of possible relief 
and cure. 

MANY DIFFERENT TYPES MARKED IN CHARACTER 

It is not my purpose to present a formulated list of 
cases of stammering, giving, for instance, so many of a 
nervous tone, so many of another, but to bring before 
the reader individuals, from the various classes, whose 
stammering has been in some way marked in character. 
Even stammerers themselves have no conception of the 



TREATMENT OF STAMMERING AND STUTTERING 2J 

vast array of differences manifested by the great afflicted 
army. Some readers of this statement may wonder why 
this is true. Many stammerers have told me that never 
had they seen others afflicted as themselves until they 
undertook institutional treatment. In fact, they did not, 
in some cases, even among intelligent people, know just 
what was the trouble, for they had not observed anyone 
else in any way so troubled. This brings up a point 
which, to the ordinary reader, may seem incredulous, but 
it is, nevertheless, true. There are large communities 
where there are no stammerers; even small cities where 
few are so afflicted. This would indicate that stammer- 
ing is an altogether abnormal and unusual affliction. The 
large numbers presented in a flourishing institution rep- 
resent widely separated districts, and, even to know the 
far points whence they come, presents an interesting array 
of data. 

Some very pronounced cases come to my mind, show- 
ing that the manifestations of any particular type are not 
always the same, each one taking its coloring from the 
temperamental characteristics of the individual. 

One case which had occasioned no small amount of 
suffering to the stammerer himself, and anxiety and appre- 
hension to his friends, was that of a young man of about 
twenty-five years of age. At a glance, one would place 
him in the exceedingly nervous class, — tall, very thin, 
somewhat stooped; with large nervous looking eyes that 
seemed ever in quest of focus. His endeavors to speak 
would have been ludicrous to the thoughtless, did one not 
appreciate the misery and humiliation of his position. 
A young man of fine mind, appreciative, overly sensitive 
as stammerers frequently are, he was a most forlorn and, 
to the inexperienced observer, hopeless case when the 
writer first met him. His endeavors to say the simplest 
words and shortest phrases of ordinary greeting, were 
frequently ineffectual. Moreover, the peculiar struggles 
through which he passed physically, in his vain attempt? 
at even phonation, would have been the subject of ridicule. 



28 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

Were he reading, he would appear to stare wildly at the 
words as if to take them in literally — but no sound would 
come ! Then he would tilt up on his toes and down again ; 
still no sound ! These manifestations of stammering were 
augmented by a vigorous and oft-repeated clearing of the 
throat, "hemming," as some would call it. The outcome 
of these painful and humiliating attempts was often fail- 
ure to speak, the young man going away exhausted. 
An increase in the severity of his malady, lost for him a 
very excellent position, and it was in this depressed and 
forlorn plight he applied to me for relief. 

A very unusual case is that of a stammering singer. 
Where vocalists of any eminence have been thus afflicted, 
the difficulty has been superinduced by some physical con- 
dition. Nervous debility and the depleted energy from 
strain, attendant upon diversified professional duties have, 
in some instances, brought about a derangement in the 
motive powers of speech. That these cases do not fre- 
quently occur, is proved by the fact that eminent writers 
and investigators along the lines of speech defects say 
that stammerers, as a rule, experience no difficulty in sing- 
ing nor in declamation. The pronounced rhythm carries 
the halting powers of speech evenly along without catas- 
trophe. The writer, however, has had among his numer- 
ous pupils, several professional singers thus peculiarly 
affected. One singer who came to him for treatment, was 
a member of a quartette in a prominent church. This 
singer came in great perturbation of spirit, foreseeing an 
inevitable loss of choir position unless the malady was 
checked in its progress. The manifestation of stammer- 
ing was in the marked inability to begin. It seemed as if 
the necessity of vocal utterance at a certain bar or count 
in the music, produced temporary paralysis of the vocal 
cords. As the stammering habit grew, entire inability 
to sing at the right time, increased with alarming rapidity. 
A loss of musical standing, as well as loss of choir po- 
sition, faced the anxious musician; the anxiety only 
heightened the difficulty, which in all stammerers is inten- 
sified in proportion to the apprehension or worry. 



TREATMENT OF STAMMERING AND STUTTERING 20, 

A more common manifestation of stammering among 
musicians, is in the case of some players of musical instru- 
ments. In some way there is not a true coordination 
between the motive centers and the manual and digital 
muscles. Stumbling, and at times entire inability of exe- 
cution, results. One case is reported of a young musician 
who had been carefully trained to accuracy and facility 
of technique. A change of residence brought the student 
during the formative period under other instruction. 
Poor judgment on the part of the new instructor placed 
the pupil before a large audience, without adequate prepa- 
ration. The strain and fright so affected the pupil's mind 
that it was years before mental equilibrium could be 
maintained before an audience, the same emotions occur- 
ring and causing no end of difficulty. 

There are cases of stammering in walking. Of one 
man thus afflicted, it is said that he could walk easily until 
he thought of what he was doing or until he became con- 
cious of the attention of others fixed upon him. Then 
he moved, if at all, with most laborious effort. 

Yet another manifestation of stammering in the manual 
muscles happens when certain individuals attempt to 
write, as in the case of those who cannot write their own 
names with facility when observed, or cannot form cer- 
tain letters, inability of production through this avenue 
of expression being as uncertain as if attempted by the 
organism of the more usual types of stammerers. 

It is noteworthy, moreover, that there is inability to 
write certain letters; those letters are invariably the same 
as are those whose sounds cause difficulty in utterance. It 
is not often that the affliction of stammering takes this 
form, but occasionally such stammerers present themselves 
for treatment. This habit of stammering in writing is en- 
tirely relieved by proper training. 

Another case is that of a young man of thirty. Although 
his physical condition was very fair, he was, at times, 
extremely nervous and even melancholy. His stammer- 
ing began when he was about five years of age and was 



30 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

attributed to an eruptive disease, — measles. There was 
on his mother's side, moreover, an aunt who stammered. 
As a man, he found himself stammering most when it was 
imperative that he should speak fluently. In ordinary 
conversation, he experienced little or no difficulty. When 
not stammering, his articulation was clear and gave evi- 
dence of excellent mentality. Contortion of the facial 
muscles seized him when he met an explosive, or, as 
my "method of attack" words it, a closed consonant. 
Before treatment, he frequently resorted to some muscular 
movement to gain momentum for speech. For illustra- 
tion, he had formed out of this need, the habit of adjust- 
ing and readjusting his glasses. While consonants gener- 
ally presented the greater difficulty, he found himself at 
a standstill occasionally on vowels, especially in his own 
name, which begins with A. He seldom stuttered or 
repeated the first syllable of a word. If blocked by a 
sound, or in danger of being impeded, he immediately 
resorted to synonyms. Hence, in cases where no synonym 
was available, he hesitated, contorted his features and 
looked somewhat agonized in uttering the word. He was 
caused the utmost embarrassment when called upon to 
introduce people to each other for the very reason that 
there was no way around the names of those introduced. 

A condition engendering stammering among children 
is, when a child is subject to the strain of learning to 
talk where several tongues are spoken. The following 
case is cited, from an authoritative source, as illustrative 
of this condition. "A case I met with in the course of 
medical practice, was the three and one-half year old son 
of a German father and a French-Swiss mother. The 
child was born in New York. Hearing three languages 
at once, as you may say, he developed an uncertainty and 
lack of concentration that lead to the spasmodic condition. 

The act of choosing a word, whether it be from a for- 
eign language or from our own, coupled, with the anxiety 
to get just the right word, produces a hesitation that is 
so near akin to stammering that it sometimes runs into 



TREATMENT OF STAMMERING AND STUTTERING 31 

it." The same specialist writes as follows, concerning 
disease and stammering: "They (the causes) alight like 
sparks upon things just ready to explode. Such are the 
weaknesses resulting from scarlet fever and other exan- 
thematous diseases. * * * There are plenty of cases 
of stammering as a sequel to scarlet fever and diphtheria. 
Whooping cough may bring it on by the effort that the 
child makes to talk during the paroxysm of coughing." 

One of the most difficult of recent cases coming to my 
knowledge during treatment, was that of a young girl of 
fifteen years who had stammered since she was four years 
old, as the result of whooping cough. Her home people 
did not realize that she was seriously affected when she 
was ten years old. At that time her trouble manifested 
itself mostly when tired or at the close of the day. This 
difficulty increased as her self-consciousness developed 
and at fifteen her difficulty to speak was most pronounced, 
especially in the presence of strangers. Her stammering 
was elusive and hard to get at. This is frequently the 
case with stammerers who make the least demonstration. 

Another is the case of a journalist fifty-seven years of 
age, who began to stammer in infancy. In the family was 
one elder brother who stammered. This gentleman at- 
tributed his stammering to heredity and environment. His 
health was good and always had been, and he had led an 
entirely temperate life. Speaking before strangers, he 
underwent no particular embarrassment and could read 
aloud alone in a room fairly well. His manifestation of 
stammering was more in the lack of coordination between 
breath and vocal utterance than in any facial or other 
bodily contortion. In argument or formal speech, he ex- 
perienced little trouble — even to the extent of giving evi- 
dence in the witness box for an hour before a full court, 
without hesitation. His greatest difficulty lay in the ut- 
terance of closed consonants and continuous sounds, while 
vowels occasioned no hesitation. On words beginning 
with ch, like chinaman, he found himself stuttering. 
When angry, the way of speech seemed to be flooded 



32 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

by the impetuous force of his aroused will. In marked 
contrast to the average afflicted stammerer, this manV 
disposition was usually cheerful, extremely so among his 
friends, he being the opposite of a recluse. 

The following is a case of very different origin, appar- 
ently, and different in its manifestations. It is that of a 
girl, thirteen years of age. Her manifestation of stam- 
mering was slight at times, leaving her at periods for 
months. Moreover, her difficulty was never perceptible 
away from home, a slight change of climate seeming to 
alleviate it temporarily. Overtaxing school work and 
broken health aggravated her stammering until she was 
very badly afflicted. When about seven years of age, a 
severe cold brought about rheumatic neuralgia and spinal 
irritation. These painful conditions seemed to invite the 
stammering which remained after one of the inducing 
causes had departed, the rheumatic neuralgia being inter- 
mittent. Her throat seemed full of nervous weakness, 
and her manner of breathing was wrong, her speaking 
voice seeming to grow in harshness and unpleasantness 
from undue effort at phonation. The words which occa- 
sioned her the greatest difficulty were those beginning 
with w, wh, I, m, n, p, k, h. On continuous sounds, there 
was the sound of escaping breath, and some stuttering ac- 
companied her efforts to speak. However, when she did 
speak, her words came forth clearly articulated. 

Another case of serious nature was that of a young 
woman of seventeen years — exceedingly timid, retir- 
ing, and of a nervous disposition. Her first memory of 
stammering was that of her early school room experience. 
Certain words at times caused her unusual trouble. 
At other times the same words could be uttered with 
ease. As she grew older, she acquired the ability to pro- 
ceed for quite a time in narration and manifested no diffi- 
culty, simply because she steered clear of impending ob- 
structions by the use of synonyms. Even some of her 
nearest friends did not know of her infirmity. Thus often- 
times in the quick quest of a substitute, the appearance of 



TREATMENT OF STAMMERING AND STUTTERING 33 

ignorance was forced upon her by the use of the wrong 
word. She avoided speaking in public because of the 
paralyzing fear of manifesting her difficulty. Many a 
time she remained entirely silent rather than suffer the 
humiliation of stumbling and stammering. This was an 
exceedingly difficult case, for the young woman, with each 
failure, sank easily into depression. 

A careful study of the different types presented will 
convince the reader that temperament, environment, 
heredity, health conditions, all join to make the sum 
total of each varying phase of stammering. 

Here is an instance of a young woman, nineteen years 
of age, with good health and superior physique, whose 
speech difficulty was a very peculiar case of stammering. 
She had stammered slightly from infancy. To what her 
malady was attributable, her parents did not know — there 
were some remote maternal relatives, however, who 
stammered. At one time there was facial contortion 
when endeavoring to speak, but that was overcome before 
she came to me for treatment. Strange as it may seem 
to those not understanding the idiosyncrasies of stammer- 
ers, her trouble was most pronounced when talking with 
her mother. Her greatest difficulty was encountered on 
words beginning with b, p, k. She could sing with utmost 
ease and speak without impediment, when angry. More- 
over, she could imitate the eccentric speech of others 
without any trouble. As a child, her people made the 
common blunder in dealing with speech defects — they 
trusted to the possibility of her outgrowing her defective 
utterance. 

In marked contrast to this case, because the former gave 
little evidence of its severity, is that of a young Russian 
Hebrew, who had stammered from childhood. He was of 
exceedingly nervous temperament, undersized and subject 
to violent twitchings in the face when attempting to speak. 
It seemed as if he could never begin, and the only way 
one could divine that he wished to speak, was by the gasp- 
ing mouth and twitching muscles, for no sound came 

3 



34 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

forth. Besides, he stuttered as well as stammered, and his 
stammering was elusive, not upon any particular sound or 
word, but here and there by turns. Unlike the ordinary 
stammerer, he stammered worse in argument, and always 
when in trouble. No one class of persons caused him 
particular embarrassment. All the way the road of diffi- 
culty and obstruction seemed to rise for him. 

At the same period under treatment was another young 
man of very different type — different in temperament 
and environment. His age was twenty years. By occupa- 
tion he was a rancher. His stammering manifested itself 
when he was about ten years of age. In his family was 
an aunt who stammered. Stammering is frequently caused 
by an eruptive disease, accompanied by fever. This young 
man traced his affliction to an attack of chicken pox. He 
could read easily when alone, but experienced extreme 
embarrassment in the presence of others. Instead of facial 
contortion, a certain paralysis seemed to grasp his facial 
muscles and he stood as if turned to stone — motionless. 
He suffered most from his impediment when asked a 
question in a room full of people — especially when 
accosted thus with ordinary daily questions, such as: 
"What is the time ?" etc. Sometimes at table, when asked 
what he would have, he was like one struck dumb. 
By beginning with "Oh," he found himself some 
times able to respond. Afflicted with harelip and cleft 
palate, this young man, trebly weighed down, suffered at 
times fearfully from depression. But in spite of his 
humiliating defects, his usually buoyant, cheerful spirit 
made his treatment easier than that of others whom a 
moody disposition handicapped. 

It is noteworthy that those predisposed to stammering 
manifest this affliction somewhere in the first eight or ten 
years — usually at four or five years of age, when first the 
consciousness begins to awaken concerning speech as 
speech. 

Here is the case of one who began to stammer when 
seven or eight years of age. This young man, at the time 



TREATMENT OF STAMMERING AND STUTTERING 35 

of his difficulty, coming to my observation, was about 
eighteen years of age. Like many another, his stammer- 
ing was traceable to heredity and troubled him not occa- 
sionally, but nearly all the time. He could read when 
alone, but in speaking to persons, he suffered from extreme 
tension and manifested this misdirection of effort in con- 
tortion of the muscles of the face, head, neck and extremi- 
ties. In class recitation, he was very much beset by his 
affliction — nor could he speak without stammering while 
sitting or lying down. Speaking to persons in authority 
also troubled him greatly. In argument, however, he 
could hold his own fairly well. The sounds of t, ch, k, 
p, q, were the principal stumbling blocks to him. 

All of these manifestations of stammering were present, 
in spite of the fact that the young man was of sanguine 
temperament and of normal physical condition. 

An extreme case of the nervous type of stam- 
mering is that of a young man of nineteen, who inherited 
his tendency to the affliction from his father. His sister, 
also, was one of the most severe stammerers. Although 
there was an inherited tendency, he traced the direct 
cause of his affliction to mimicry. He spoke before stran- 
gers only with the utmost effort and embarrassment. He 
could not even read freely aloud when alone. In his 
efforts at speech, he suffered contortions of the body, pain- 
ful to behold. When excited, or making business plans, 
his trouble was the worst. No words in particular 
bothered him. The whole realm of sounds, syllables and 
words, seemed by turns to present enemies to his utter- 
ance. When he tried to speak there was the sound of es- 
caping breath, but, on the other hand, no stuttering accom- 
panied his efforts. Although he was of nervous dispo- 
sition, his health was fairly good. As he advanced in 
years, he noticed a marked increase in his malady. 

There are, probably, as many different conditions in 
manifestation of stammering as there are different persons 
thus addicted, and each case, in a sense, is different to 
others and strikingly peculiar by itself. One case particu- 



36 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

larly that I call to mind was that of a young Englishman 
who attended my institution some eight or nine years ago 
and who, in addition to stammering, suffered from mus- 
cular paralysis of the organs of utterance. Many of the 
sounds of the vocabulary were impossibilities for him; in 
fact, his talking resolved itself into a sort of jargon, with 
here and there an intelligible utterance, which, however, 
was accompanied by stammering. With patience we set 
about to overcome his difficulty, teaching him the correct 
positions of the organs of articulation for the enunciation 
of the elementary sounds. Tongue and mouth exercises, 
combined with vocal exercises, gradually established flexi- 
bility of the muscles, and this, coupled with the instruc- 
tion which he received for the purpose of overcoming his 
stammering, gradually brought about the desired condi- 
tions, with the result that an absolute cure was finally 
effected. 

There comes to my mind the case of a young man of 
fourteen years, tall, thin and of nervous temperament. 
This youth stammered because of hereditary tendencies. 
Two of his uncles were afflicted in the same way. He 
was not only overgrown, being over six feet in height, 
but very ill-proportioned, weighing only 122 pounds. For 
some time his people had him under treatment for en- 
larged tonsils, which were removed. As is the case with 
many persons not conversant with the causes of stam- 
mering, they attributed his difficulty to the condition 
of his throat, also to his abnormally large tongue. How- 
ever, when his tonsils had been removed, and no apparent 
change for the better took place in his speech, they were 
convinced that the seat of the difficulty was neither the 
enlarged tonsils nor the unwieldy tongue. When reading, 
he experienced the greatest difficulty, and the particularly 
difficult sounds for him were those of m, k, t, f. Some- 
times when he tried to speak he seemed blocked and 
could get no further. When he tried argument, he was 
worse than in ordinary conversation. Sometimes he was 
exceedingly irritable, and, undoubtedly, that was when his 
malady most grievously beset him. 



TREATMENT OF STAMMERING AND STUTTERING 2>7 

A young girl of thirteen years, frail and of evidently 
very nervous temperament, came to me for treatment. 
She began to stammer when she was about four years old. 
It is to be noted that stammering usually manifests itself 
about the time the use of speech, or attempts at it, begin. 
Her stammering commenced following diphtheria, which 
quite undermined her already delicate constitution. She, 
like many another stammerer, was worst beset when there 
was pressing demand to say something. Her fear of 
uttering sounds was principally manifested upon b, p, t, 
u, m, c. When she attempted to speak, there was the 
sound of breath escaping. She not only stammered, but 
stuttered, for she repeated syllables at times with rapidity. 
The more she struggled to speak, the more nervous she 
became. With some persons she could talk without any 
apparent difficulty; with others, the trouble was extreme. 
She was not only nervous, but very excitable. Besides, 
standing as if dumb, she had a queer way of opening 
up the mouth as if thirsting for the word. Moreover, the 
blood suffused her face and neck in spots, accentuating the 
palor which came at her efforts to speak. 

The following is the case of a young man who was in 
his eighth year before he began to stammer. His stam- 
mering was, undoubtedly, due to weakness and the conse- 
quent imitation due to playing in this condition with a 
boy who stammered. When this young man was a very 
little child he suffered from brain fever, which left him 
with paralysis of the right side, which was perceptibly 
smaller than the left. The paralysis forced him to use 
his left hand and also caused the extreme physical weak- 
ness that made him an easy prey to stammering. His 
affliction was always an annoyance to him. Although he 
stammered badly, there was no particular manifestation in 
contortion. Whether in conversation or argument, it 
made no difference with him. So mild was his disposition 
that his speech acquired no particular momentum from 
anger. Thus he differed from the majority of stammerers, 
who can speak better when angered. On the continuous 



38 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

sounds, there was the hissing made by escaping breath. 
Moreover, he repeated rapidly, thus stuttering as well as 
stammering. Again, he would stay mute and seem unable 
to utter a word, or else mutter instead of articulating. 
When he attempted to speak, he showed exceeding nerv- 
ousness. 

A representative of a type almost diametrically oppo- 
site to the one just described, was that of a young man of 
twenty-one. He was a person of unusually good physique, 
but of uneven disposition. When he was far up in the 
scale of good cheer, those who knew him best were sure 
that the pendulum of his disposition would shortly, in a 
few hours, or even a few minutes, swing clear to the oppo- 
site extreme. When he was three years old he began to 
stammer. None of his family were thus afflicted, and 
the concourse of opinion was that his defect was due to 
sickness. 

His difficulty in speaking was the greatest at home or 
in the presence of intimate friends. When he tried to 
speak, there was a rapid escape of breath. Only a slight 
nervous spasm took place in the muscles of the face and 
no manifestation of stuttering. In his room he could read 
aloud without difficulty. When a very small boy, his 
people put him under treatment, but lacking the maturity 
of mind to see the importance of persistent practice in the 
right direction, he gradually lapsed back until at twenty- 
one his was a severe case of stammering. 

The case of an Egyptian, who had stammered since he 
was five years of age, is interesting. As he was a person 
apparently temperate in all things, the only plausible cause 
of his stammering seemed to be sickness, for with him the 
stammering manifested itself later than the first acquisi- 
tion of speech. In any use of the vocal organism in 
an effort to speak, he stammered. In fact, his case marked 
itself as extraordinarily serious, for he did what only the 
more afflicted stammerers do — he stammered when read- 
ing alone in his room. Th, r, g, I, k were sources of spe- 
cial difficulty for him. 



TREATMENT OF STAMMERING AND STUTTERING 39 

The stammering experience of a soldier is quite differ- 
ent from the foregoing. His defect was caused by neu- 
rasthenia, and by a generally debilitated condition. He 
was fourteen years of age before he began to stammer. 
His chief difficulty lay in the following sounds, in their 
order of presentation : d, b, t, c, k, p, u, d being the hardest 
of all. His time of greatest difficulty was in the presence 
of those before whom he wished to appear at an advant- 
age or where some matter of importance was at stake. 
He, moreover, found himself incapable of set speech, such 
as the participation in a prearranged debate, because his 
confidence deserted him in the time of stress. When he 
attempted to speak, there was either the sound of escaping 
breath or a hiss, with some attempts at utterance. 

One case of stammering that particularly interested me 
was that of a man 40 years of age, and who had stam- 
mered from infancy. Unlike the majority of persons 
thus afflicted, this man was not one whit sensitive because 
of his difficulty, which was most severe. He apparently 
stammered on every word he uttered, sometimes a mere 
stoppage, resembling hesitancy, characterizing the diffi- 
culty, at other times a complete stop for the lapse of a 
minute or more. It was apparently a case of continued 
stammering, as change of surroundings or environment 
made no difference whatever either in increasing or lessen- 
ing the weight of his burden. He stammered as much 
in talking with members of his own family as he did when 
conversing with strangers. Anger made no difference, 
either by way of increasing or retarding his fluency. He 
experienced the same trouble in reading that he did in 
conversation, in fact, there were no conditions that 
appeared either to lessen or to aggravate his difficulty. 

Usually, and in the majority of cases, stammerers, find 
that there are certain sounds that cause them greater 
difficulty than others. For instance, one man stammers 
worse on the sound of the letter ^ than on any other, while 
another stammerer finds greater difficulty in producing 
the sound of t. Again, it may be, a number of letters 



40 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

appear difficult, but in this case there were no particular 
sounds that were more bothersome than others. Sick 
or well, despondent or joyful, the trouble was always about 
the same. 

Unlike many who stammer and who feel keenly sensi- 
tive because of their infirmity, this gentleman persisted 
in trying to talk. Stammer or not, he was going to talk 
anyway. He was an unusually pleasant fellow, all things 
considered, a man who naturally would draw out your 
sympathy, although he made no effort to do so because of 
his infirmity. 

One cannot always tell from the manifestations of 
stammering apparent, the extent to which the difficulty has 
progressed. A gentleman living in Chicago, connected 
with one of the largest wholesale dry goods houses there, 
wrote me the particulars about his son, who, he said, as 
far as he could observe, talked perfectly, but who claimed 
to stammer. Subsequently, he brought the young man to 
my office for examination, and although I talked with the 
boy for at least an hour, I could not detect any degree of 
hesitancy or stammering. The young man's mother suf- 
fered from stammering, and he told me under certain 
conditions he experienced a feeling which seemed to 
paralyze his power of utterance. The condition of stam- 
mering, although never physically manifested to his father, 
had on many occasions, he said, crippled his utterance, 
and under such conditions, said he, "I am wholly unable 
to say the word that I wish to." "Of course," he con- 
tinued, "I usually manage to get around the obstacle by 
resorting to the use of a synonym." This case was strik- 
ingly peculiar in that the manifestations were unusually 
mild; nevertheless, it was a case of stammering due to 
heredity, a case where the disease had been planted in 
the pre-natal life and, therefore, had all the conditions of 
the parent's stammering as a part of the condition of its 
own existence. The young man remained in my institu 
tion but a few weeks, during which time we succeeded in 
permanently eradicating every vestige of his former 
trouble. 



TREATMENT OF STAMMERING AND STUTTERING 41 

A most interesting and peculiar case comes to mind as 
I write, viz., that of a young man who, in his childhood, 
had been slightly addicted to stammering. When about 
9 years of age, he completely outgrew his difficulty and 
experienced no recurrence of it whatever until about his 
26th year, when it returned suddenly, resulting from fright 
caused by a railroad wreck through which the young man 
had passed. Immediately after the accident, although for- 
tunately he was not in any other manner injured, he found 
that he was wholly unable to speak without the most 
violent contortions. As the days passed, the severity of his 
difficulty did not lessen any, in fact, if anything, it became 
worse. When he arrived at my institution, he was almost 
wholly unable to make himself understood and when, after 
a few weeks of treatment he left for home cured of his 
difficulty, he talked of entering a damage suit against the 
company on whose road the wreck had occurred, although 
up to this time I have learned nothing further from it. 
This much I do know, however, that the railroad company 
endeavored to make a settlement with him, which settle- 
ment he refused to accept. 

In looking over the reports of a large number of cases 
of stammering, not a few do I find who attribute their in- 
firmity to fright. When that fright has been accidental, 
it is to be deplored. When the child has been the victim 
of fright resulting from the nagging or worrying spirit of 
the ignorant, it is little short of criminal. Those who 
have come under my personal supervision for treatment, 
have related experiences out of their own pitiable past 
that should make every protector of little children vigilant. 

One of the most stubborn cases coming under my treat- 
ment was that of a young southerner — a man of unusual 
attainments. None of his antecedents stammered. He 
attributed his affliction to fright resulting from a fall. 
At the time of his treatment, he was thirty-five years of 
age and he had stammered since he was nineteen years old. 

Stammering has very many times been attributed to 
fright, where most probably the fright attributed as the 



42 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

source of the difficulty was but an aggravation which 
developed a condition which had existed in the be- 
ginning, but which might never have manifested itself had 
it not been aggravated. The foregoing case, where the 
condition lay dormant for nearly twenty years, is evidence 
of the correctness of this claim. 

There is a peculiarly impulsive type of stammering 
which is frequently accompanied by stuttering, a con- 
glomerate mass of inarticulate sounds being projected 
when one thus afflicted attempts to speak. 

The elements of speech, though present, are in a chaotic 
condition, and the stammerer, endeavoring to speak, 
makes spasmodic efforts to breathe, substitutes sounds, 
stumbles, tangles up his expression and pushes ahead. 
From one pitch of voice to another he rushes on rapidly, 
physical contortions accompanying his distressful efforts. 

A young man living in New York presented himself to 
me for treatment a number of years ago. His grandfather, 
whom he had never seen, was a confirmed stammerer, a 
man of some 60 years of age, who had stammered since 
early childhood. The young man had grown to the age 
of 18 years and up to this time had spoken fluently, 
without any apparent fear or indication of stammering. 
Some time previous to his entering my institution he 
attended a theater where one of the actors impersonated 
a stammerer, and this seemed to strike the young fellow 
as particularly amusing, so much so, in fact, that he en- 
deavored, upon returning home, to relate the amusing in- 
cident to his parents. But alas ! the poor fellow found that 
he could do it with too much reality — he himself had con- 
tracted the stammering habit and was scarcely able to 
speak. The dormant condition of stammering, planted 
in the prenatal life of the young man had been aroused, 
and stammering had developed with all its attendant train 
of woes and miseries. Surely, he had paid the penalty of 
his sin of mimicry. In this particular case without imita- 
tion, stammering probably would never have been mani- 
fested. 



TREATMENT OF STAMMERING AND STUTTERING 43 

Although all stammerers are more or less sensitive, 
there are some who suffer so deeply that they might be 
termed sensitive stammerers. Their natural timidity is 
increased with every new humiliation experienced in try- 
ing to talk. Such afflicted ones impose silence upon them- 
selves rather than undergo the torture of exhibiting their 
halting speech. With many of this type, there has been 
a lifelong struggle, the stammering habit having deepened 
day by day from early school days. Teachers, ignorant 
of the nature of the malady, and some over-severe in 
methods used with these sensitive, shrinking pupils, re- 
quired more than they realized. 

The sentitive stammerer is, perhaps, one of the most 
interesting. When I speak of the sensitive type, I refer 
to a class of persons who stammer but little, in fact, so 
little that many of their friends do not know that they 
really do stammer. Such stammerers become adept in the 
use of synonyms. You can scarcely stick them, so keenly 
alert are they. Reading aloud to others, bothers them 
particularly, because under these conditions substitutions 
are impossible. An interesting case came under my notice 
a while ago, when a young lady applied to me for treat- 
ment. In conversing with her I could detect no difficulty 
whatever in her talking, in fact, it was only after the most 
trying test that I compelled her to stammer, and then the 
manifestation was but slight. She stated that she was 
not physically strong and that the constant mental battle 
that she was compelled to fight to keep from manifesting 
her affliction was fast making of her a wreck. 
This, in a measure, was true. Extremely sensitive, with a 
particularly excitable temperament, such stammerers are 
constantly worried, which in extreme cases sometimes 
results seriously. There are some cases of a mild type 
which belong to this class, that receive absolutely no sym- 
pathy. Their friends will not believe that they who stam- 
mer suffer, their parents throw cold water upon all efforts 
to cast off the burden, and the unfortunate one thus afflict- 
ed suffers in silence and alone, the otherwise cheerful, 



44 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

sunny disposition becomes sour, in fact, the whole disposi- 
tion becomes alterably effected. Some such unfortunate 
persons have asked me what I would do under such cir- 
cumstances. It is needless for me to state, as it must be 
apparent. When a cure in such mild cases is so readily 
accomplished, I would make any sacrifice rather than go 
through the world a stumbling block to myself and a 
burden to others. 

One class of persons who stammer will continue to 
suffer unless they view matters from a different stand- 
point. I refer to the skeptical stammerer. The lack of 
confidence, deeply founded because of repeated failure in 
speech, gradually pervades the mind in other directions, 
until the whole personality seems to be tinged with doubt 
and lack of faith. Those with whom the skeptical stam- 
merer comes in contact, are liable to suspicion until 
proved to be friendly. The skeptical stammerer is appre- 
hensive in the extreme, lest someone may get the better 
of him. Persons of this type are difficult to treat suc- 
cessfully. 

A young man wrote to me some years ago and stated 
in his letter that a friend had induced him to investigate 
my work but that he had reluctantly consented. He 
stated that he had been humbugged once and that he 
didn't propose to give another a chance to "dupe" him. 
Other similar expressions contained in his letter left no 
question regarding his attitude. In his opinion (which 
was not humble, by any means,) no person could be cured 
of stammering, those engaged in the treatment of stam- 
merers were a pack of "frauds," "inhuman ghouls," and 
while he was ready to receive a letter from me, he would 
state before receiving it that he had no confidence in my 
institution nor in any other. It is needless for me to say 
to those who know me that I threw the letter into 
the waste-basket. One who wishes to be cured of stam- 
mering must view the treatment with utmost confidence. 
In ratio to this confidence (so essential) will their efforts 
be crowned with success. I have never known of one 



TREATMENT OF STAMMERING AND STUTTERING 45 

person to be cured of stammering who lacked confidence 
in the result of their efforts. I have never known of a 
single failure where there was absolute confidence backed 
up by effort and determination. 

Every authority on stammering and stuttering speaks 
with special emphasis regarding the value of confidence 
to stammerers who submit themselves for treatment and 
cure. 

I remember well, a young lady who stammered pitifully 
applied to me for relief. Her contortions and painful 
efforts to speak were most embarrassing, not only to her, 
but also to others with whom she endeavored to converse. 
So aggravated was her condition, that it resembled at times 
St. Vitus's dance, the dreadful contortions of her face 
seeming to indicate a fierce battle within. One would 
suppose, from observation, that stammering as difficult and 
as aggravated as this would prove stubborn to eradicate, 
and I am convinced that such would have been the case 
had it not been for the implicit confidence of the sufferer 
in the efficacy of the methods which it was her intention 
to follow. Speaking of her cure afterwards, she said that 
she had never once questioned nor doubted regarding her 
ultimate and final success in overthrowing the demon that 
seemed to hold her down. She believed implicitly that 
she would be cured, and, strange as it may appear (it is 
nevertheless true), this young lady never again stam- 
mered after she entered upon her course of treatment. 
That was five or six years ago, and, to my personal knowl- 
edge, she is today talking perfectly without the slightest 
evidence of her former awful impediment, nor would one 
suspect that she had ever stammered. That the cure in 
the beginning was largely established because of such 
perfect confidence and absolute belief, there is little doubt. 
I have many times been asked to define stammering, 
and there have been many definitions written, but leaving 
aside all technicalities, a very simple definition is, lacking 
confidence. These two words signify in a nutshell very 
largely the condition from which all stammerers suffer. 



46 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

At earliest childhood the prattler learns that others can 
speak as he cannot, and as he grows older he learns that 
because they can speak the words that he is apparently 
unable to utter, they can, because of this fact, do things 
which he is unable to accomplish. The two conditions 
appear to go hand in hand. Naturally from this condi- 
tion, since he is unequal to the task of accomplishing 
what others can, the stammerer regards himself as 
unequal. A feeling of moral cowardice possesses him; 
he shrinks from the task of utterance, unshoulders his 
burden upon others, changes the construction of his sen- 
tences, uses synonyms, avoids difficult words, and one way 
or another, by hook or by crook, manages to get along. 
Who can wonder that one who is thus handicapped 
becomes sensitive, loses confidence in himself, oftentimes 
withdraws entirely from social intercourse, and bv his 
reserved manner, his inability because of his infirmity to 
launch forward into undertakings that would mean a 
success were he able to speak as others, he settles back 
in repose and allows others to step into his position. 

There are thousands upon thousands of stammerers 
who have suffered these (to the majority of people') 
unknown miseries, a condition that has wrecked many 
lives and which has deprived the sufferers of great oppor- 
tunities. 

Who, then, can deny that stammering is manifested in 
lacking confidence? You who stammer and who read this 
book, make up your mind to do one thin? — believe^ In 
a sense, before you can hope to be cured of vour infirmitv, 
you must be born a^ain. The lacking confidence which is 
naturally yours, from the fact that it is in part the condi- 
tion from which vou suffer must give wa}' to absolute 
belief. Fifteen vears ago T stammered so terriblv that it 
was difficult at times to understand what T endeavored to 
say, and most painful at all times to witness my contor- 
tions. Todav T am entirelv cured, permanentlv relieved 
of my infirmity. T speak as fluently as one who has never 
stammered— more fluentlv than some. This fact should 



TREATMENT OF STAMMERING AND STUTTERING 47 

serve to inspire the doubtful with confidence. But this is 
not all. Hundreds have been cured by following out the 
principles with which I cured myself of my infirmity. 
These stand ready to testify to the efficacy of the methods 
pursued. What has been accomplished in the past in this 
respect, and is being accomplished in the present, is surely 
worthy of repetition. Any case of stammering or stutter- 
ing, I care not how severe, provided there is application 
and intelligence to back up the exercises and instruction, 
may be entirely and permanently cured. 

The majority of persons who stammer are naturally 
anxious to overcome the difficulty, but there are a few 
here and there who, apparently, are satisfied and seemingly 
contented to stammer through to the very end. It has 
always been so, and probably always will be, not only in 
the matter of stammering, but also in other matters where 
an affliction of the body or mind is concerned. There are 
those, however, and plenty of them, in fact, the large ma- 
jority of stammerers and stutterers are self-concerned and 
anxious to break away from the chains that bind them 
captive. To such I give an assurance which, it seems to 
me, should serve as encouragement. This assurance and 
assertion is made and based upon the supposition that the 
patient will be willing to put forth self-effort, which 
granted, the cure is usually not by any means difficult 
to effect. 

There is one class of stammerers that, in spite of years 
of struggle for freedom and fluency of speech, are never- 
theless hopeful and usually ready to see life's bright side. 
Stammerers of this class are (in spite of adverse condi- 
tions) optimistic. By their brave example, they compel 
us to realize the truth of Tennyson's lines where he says : 
"This truth within thy mind rehearse: — 
That in a boundless Universe, 
Is boundless better, boundless worse." 

The willingness of the pupil to cooperate enters into 
any treatment for the cure of stammering as a mighty 
factor in determining results, 



48 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

There are, of course, a great many different kinds of 
students in the modern, up-to-date institution for stam- 
merers — all classes, rich and poor, robust and delicate, 
enthusiastic and indifferent ; in fact, gathering its students 
from all classes of society and from all walks of life, from 
every quarter of the civilized world, the go-ahead insti- 
tution meets every condition conceivable. In determining 
results for any particular class from among those who 
submit themselves for treatment and instruction, it is 
necessary to subdivide the whole, which I would classify 
as follows: 

(i) Those who are in earnest and who purpose to do 
everything they are told to do. 

. (2) Those who are in earnest and who purpose to do 
everything they are told to do, and who mean to do noth- 
ing they are told not to do. 

(3) Those who are in earnest and who purpose to do 
everything they are told to do; who do many things they 
are not told to do, and who refuse absolutely to do those 
things that they are told not to do. 

Stammerers belonging to the first division, generally 
succeed ; those belonging to the second, meet with still bet- 
ter success, while those belonging to the third, more than 
realize their anticipations. 

We are rewarded in this world in any undertaking into 
which we enter largely in ratio to the effort we put forth. 

A two-dollar-a-day clerk never receives a raise in sal- 
ary until he demonstrates to his employer that his services 
are worth more. If he works to give the employer "two 
dollars worth," he remains a two-dollar man. The man 
who enters the stammering institution, and who does just 
what he is told to, without any additional self-effort or 
originality is, of course, a better student and more likely 
to succeed than the one who neglects those duties that are 
assigned him. Still he remains a "two-dollar man," and 
his cure is advanced much in ratio to the effort he puts 
forth. He who makes the extra self-effort, and who asks 
for advice in this respect to guide him in his work, will 



TREATMENT OF STAMMERING AND STUTTERING 49 

surely succeed best. He is the kind of a man who 
rises from door boy to manager, who rises from newsboy 
to congressman, who possesses some originality and is 
ready to test his views, who does everything he is told to 
do, and who refuses absolutely to do those things that he 
is told not to do. This is the ideal student, the student 
who succeeds not only in overcoming his stammering, but 
who also succeeds in any undertaking in life into which 
he enters. 

While the sorrowful stammerer, by his daily life refutes 
all belief that there may be a "boundless better" ever to 
be enjoyed by him, he seems, by his very attitude of 
forlorn hopelessness, to say with that other voice: 
"Thou art so full of misery, 
Were it not better not to be?" 

His wakeful nights are doubly dark because of mental 
depression, and each new day is dreaded because of his 
load of fear and despondency. He is enthralled by moods 
and whims which precipitate his spirits into murky depths 
whence a weakened will seems powerless to lift him. This 
type seems exceedingly erratic, some maintaining a sor- 
rowful yet reserved manner toward associates and friends ; 
others, habitually burdening with a gloomy recital of the 
ills of life, those who will listen. 

There is no work in the realm of teaching more depend- 
ent upon responsiveness than is the cure of stammering. 
The man or woman who applies for treatment and, after 
making all necessary business arrangements, seems to 
settle back and assume an air of, "Here I am — cure me, 
if you can" — has opened the first door for failure. Some- 
where it says : "The readiness is all." It may not be all 
— but it is a large factor in the accomplishment of any 
result, especially the cure of a speech defect. Stammer- 
ing cannot be cured without the patient assuming such a 
mental attitude. Responsiveness, which means a quick- 
ness, an alertness to seize every suggestion of help from 
the teacher, is really smoothing the pathway on the road 
of cure. The writer recalls one very difficult case which 



50 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

negatively illustrates this quality — by the lack of it. The 
man referred to, was very earnest, but submerged in 
gloom; the habit of years, brought on by his repeated 
suffering because of stammering. Meeting him in the 
morning, any endeavor to give cheery greeting was 
thwarted, for he slipped doggedly by with lowered or 
averted head. In the class-room his attitude was quite 
the same. Encouraging words from the instructor fell 
on barren ground, as far as this stammerer was concerned. 
He looked away, as if all that was cheerful or hopeful 
concerned not his case. He was beyond the pale of suc- 
cess ! And because of holding right on to that state of 
mind, he divorced himself from the good and progress his 
neighbors were achieving. This fault should, however, 
only be condoned. The pity was that, especially in view 
of his speech defect, which naturally depressed one of his 
shrinking nature, that some one had not, in the years when 
habits were forming, helped him out of himself — into the 
light of things. 

The stammerer who has arrived at maturity unrelieved 
of his affliction, seeing the world's prizes and advantages 
in every one's hands but his own, comes to view success 
on the bias. Other men, with far less mental endow- 
ment, pass him in the race — the office boy (his junior by 
years) works up and is put above him. Again and again 
stammerers relate these chagrining episodes in their lives 
and the listener readily discerns whence has sprung the 
bitterness. Only such know how bitter are the waters of 
failure, and all the wrong attitudes of mind that spring 
up because of these failures. 

The question immediately arises: "If I have come to 
maturity, a stammerer with habits formed, and some of 
them, as you say, enemies to my possible cure, what am I 
going to do?" This is by no means an easy question to 
answer. It brings us back to one of the first assertions 
made concerning stammerers. There is a weakness of will 
in those directions where there should be strength. He 
who is responsive, for instance, opens the door of his mind 



TREATMENT OF STAMMERING AND STUTTERING 5 1 

to influences from without. He who is cheerful, opens the 
door to bright and wholesome thoughts. His will is 
strong in grasping the positive. In one sense, he chooses 
to walk on the sunny street of life instead of in the gloom. 
There is always this hopeful side of life, that habits, 
though formed may be reformed, and the influence of 
cheer is so positive that very soon its work shows when 
the will says, "out with darkness, in with light." The 
stammerer is, figuratively speaking, walking down an 
avenue which has many divergences. His natural quest is 
for relief from his humiliating trouble. The roads are 
two — cheer and depression. If he chooses the former, 
immediately he sees ahead of him many possibilities. All 
the good of life seems possible. Powers latent before 
seem to spring into being and the voice of "I can" domi- 
nates his work. 

There are some stammerers who present quite the ordi- 
nary symptoms of stammering*, whose utterance is made 
more disagreeable by its nasal quality. The stream of 
vibrating air which, when properly taken up and echoed 
by the chambers of resonance, becomes voice, upon issuing 
from the larynx is deflected from its proper echo chambers 
and a very unpleasant element has accentuated the afflic- 
tion of the speaker. 

Very well do I recall one pupil under treatment who 
was an excellent example. It was one of those cases 
where human nature seemed to have more than its share 
in the way of defects. Besides stammering, there was 
harelip and cleft palate. This young man's stammering 
began at the age of ten or eleven years. Though subject 
to depression over his difficulty, he would gather himself 
together and work heroically on what was prescribed for 
his case. What he accomplished, was the product of energy 
and earnestness. His was an unusual case, in that the 
energy and appreciation of all that a cure would mean 
were commensurate with the degree of his trouble. 

Those stammerers who will not concentrate their pow- 
ers, thus meeting the instructor half way, are the intan- 



52 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

gible cases. The teacher touches no responsive chord — 
and the relief that might be afforded cannot take place 
for want of hearty cooperation. A faithful adherence to 
all that is required is necessary to get out of the labyrinth 
of stammering into the open arena of untrammeled speech. 

Wide experience in the treatment of stammerers 
convinces me that concentration of mind is seriously 
needed by stammerers as a class. I am speaking of the 
average stammerer. Inability for continuous occupation 
is surely a fault of this class. Probably this has given the 
stammerer the name of instability of opinions as well as of 
speech. There is no doubt but that mental concentration 
is the product of education. A halting, a stammering not 
due to inability to utter formulated thought, is pres- 
ent; there is a mental groping for the right thing to 
say. Where a tendency to stammer is accompanied by this 
lack of formulating thought before attempt at utterance, 
the case is difficult to handle. This, as heretofore stated, 
is frequently the cause of stammering in the case of 
exceedingly bright children. Whether in adults or chil- 
dren, this form of stammering seems to be induced when 
there is a tendency of the mind to generate thoughts more 
rapidly than they can be uttered. A futile attempt is made 
to express them all. Like a confused crowd of eager 
persons pressing and pushing for exit through a door or 
gateway, it is uncertain which will find egress first. 
Jumbled and chaotic utterance puts to flight the ability to 
place one thought clearly and definitely before the listener. 
Repeated experiences of this kind bring to the person a 
conviction that he cannot speak without stammering. His 
mental activity is in excess of his power to control speech. 

Previously have I stated that the nervousness of stam- 
merers is due to their malady. There is, however, one 
type of stammering which takes its rise from nervous 
ness. Exceeding weakness in childhood, caused by sick- 
ness or too rapid growth, develops this constitutional form 
of the malady. All the muscular actions of persons thus 
afflicted are liable to be characterized by a spasmodic 



TREATMENT OF STAMMERING AND STUTTERING 53 

irregularity. A similar uncertainty marks their efforts in 
speaking. The exhaustion arising from useless muscular 
activity, continually saps the already weakened nerve 
force. The nervous forces of the body so completely 
lack coordination that a complete physical wreck is often 
the result of these grievous conditions. 

A young woman who came under treatment, illustrates 
this type of the difficulty in a forcible way. Naturally 
very nervous and frail, her progress toward a cure was 
hampered by her constantly starting to speak without 
having thought beforehand just what she wished to say. 
One at a distance, hearing her trying to talk, could readily 
detect a double cause for her halting speech. In fact, 
the larger part of her trouble was, undoubtedly, due to 
aimless talking. 

A young mother who entered my institution for treat- 
ment, expressed to me her dread lest the little daughter 
at home should develop the tendency to stammer, which 
in a slight degree, unnoticed by the child, was manifest. 
Much as the mother desired the child's companionship, I 
advised her not to have the child with her at the school, 
nor to recognize in the child's speech anything peculiar. 
On the other hand, I urged her upon her leaving the 
institution, speaking easily herself, to place around the 
child every physical and mental safegaurd. She saw, from 
her own requirement, the need of physical training leading 
to control. She learned that all undue excitement must 
be warded off from her child, moreover, that the little 
girl must, without any reference to stammering, be taught 
not to speak when excited or tired until she could control 
her breathing. 

Important as these lessons are, and as simple as 
they may seem to those who have studied this matter, 
they are lessons, the adherence to which would keep many 
a one from the anguish and distress of stammering. 

There is another phase of the subject which is always 
more or less delicate as to discussion with parents, for 
each family usually thinks itself able to manage and con- 



54 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

trol its own children, but what I actually know from 
sensitive stammerers who have, under embarrassment, told 
me their life experiences, leads me to believe that some 
parents are unwittingly too severe. 

A very earnest and conscientious professional man 
once told me that he felt sure that his father's severity 
aggravated his difficulty. Many a time when his father, 
an exceedingly strict man, harsh even in his old-world 
notions of family rule, spoke to him abruptly, for 
several minutes he could not speak. From, childhood 
into manhood the dread of father's rule, which paralyzed 
his power, followed him. The wrong to the child is 
self-evident. There are, as every thoughtful parent 
will agree, two marked extremes in the methods adopted 
for the management of children, the one, above, which 
paralyzes the will of the child and makes him a thing, 
not a thinking, willing, feeling being; while, on the other 
hand, there is lawless freedom which others give children 
that their individuality may not be marred or warped ! 

What a wrong to any child — how unfortunate for 
him to fall under either dominion, especially if he be 
a stammerer or even if he have a tendency to stammer. 
Those who have given intelligent attention to the subject, 
know that in the very nature of the defect, the educa- 
tion of the child should have full attention paid to the 
right formation and direction of his will-power. The will, 
as exercised in speech-control is well adapted to an illus- 
tration along the lines of electricity. We have before us a 
machine with two brass balls at one side ; at the beginning 
of the starting up of the machine, but a small distance 
apart. With the slow revolution of the glass discs of the 
machine in frictional contact, a faint crackling is heard, 
then a tiny spark leaps out from pole to pole (between the 
brass balls.) With the increase in speed the power increases 
and a veritable arch of light gleams between the poles of 
the machine as the force grows in intensity. Now let one 
of these poles represent the organs of articulation, the other 
standing for the brain centers concerned in speech produc- 



TREATMENT OF STAMMERING AND STUTTERING 55 

tion. The weak will of the stammerer is the low power of 
the machine, which does not enable the electricity to bridge 
the distance ; the motive power, as yet not equal to connect- 
ing the two. Educate the will, incite the courage of the 
stammerer, and his power increases to flash the mental 
desire for speech out along the nerve fibres to the very 
organs of articulation. 

All stammerers know from experience that different 
mental states are productive of correspondingly different 
degrees of intensity in their impediment, certain condi- 
tions of mind affording comparative freedom of utterance, 
while other conditions are productive of difficulties ap- 
proaching absolute dumbness. 

One stammerer that I recall was no exception to this 
rule. For years he had been stammering with varying 
degrees of intensity — sometimes very badly, and at others 
almost wholly free from a trace of impediment; yet he 
had never awakened fully to the realization that what had 
heretofore proved a temporary relief, dependent upon cir- 
cumstances, might by systematic effort, constant watch- 
fulness and exercise of will-power, be made a permanent 
state of affairs within the control of himself alone, and 
not subject to the extraneous conditions. 

When this young man commenced to awaken to the 
realization of the truth of what is stated above, and when 
he began to make application of it (his chief constant aim, 
from that day forth,) his improvement was rapid. I am 
inclined to think that the resolution itself had a good deal 
to do in the working of the transformation. Did you 
not ever notice that when within the pale of irresolution 
on any one particular matter, how your entire daily life 
seems to be more or less vacillating in purpose, not 
necessarily to any grievous degree, but the whole suffi- 
ciently affected to give a feeling of extreme discomfort, 
whereas, a resolution in respect to the matter held in 
doubt has seemed to vivify and change the tenor of every- 
thing? This brings us to reinforce another point, and 
that is the advantage of forming a resolution to be cured 



56 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

of stammering. With this resolution, never to stammer 
again, firmly fixed in mind, jealously guard and foster 
every possible help toward cheerful, courageous, confident 
states of mind. Cheerfulness under all circumstances is 
necessary. 

There is no danger of , exaggerating the importance of 
right states of mind, if one desires to be cured of stam- 
mering. Fear paralyzes the motor power even of those 
whose speech is normal. Gloom benumbs the energy. An 
acknowledgment that one lacks force, is in itself a lack of 
force. A positive assertion of ability, coupled with honest 
effort, sends through the veins a new life-current. It is 
everywhere generally conceded that the physiological 
action of fear is most injurious, while the transforming 
power of courage and joy are well-nigh miraculous. 
And how may these attributes be encouraged and 
strengthened? By normal exercise in the air and sun- 
shine; — by engaging, in absorbing work, a reasonable 
number of hours; — by associating with persons of normal 
temperament who are sanguine and helpful : — by cultivat- 
ing a friendship with books that look hopefully on life's 
progress; — by making all means of culture serve in per- 
fecting strength of character: these are adjuncts which 
will help the stammerer along the road to cure. 

Sometimes the phrase, "state of mind," or "states of 
mind," frightens the beginner in the study of mental con- 
ditions. From time beyond memory many a one has 
heard the oft-quoted proverb: "As a man thinketh in 
his heart so is he." He who has ever stammered, but who 
knows the joy of overcoming this condition, knows that 
this proverb is of the utmost significance. He knows that 
the man or woman, constantly possessed by the thought 
that he or she cannot speak, is dangerously near the stam- 
merer's condition, if he is not already there. He knows, 
too, that he will never be safe nor free until the mind 
has faced about to a new point of view. 

The all-important question in the stammerer's mind is : 
"How am I to do this?" Although the author has fre- 



TREATMENT OF STAMMERING AND STUTTERING 57 

quently written on this question, the importance of it will 
make it pardonable to enlarge upon it. 

It will be absolutely necessary for the stammerer to 
keep in companionship those thoughts which inspire cour- 
age, confidence and cheerfulness. Let it become the habit 
of his life to seek out public speakers who radiate those 
elements of character he feels that he lacks. I would 
like to underscore this advice in the minds of my readers, 
for the tendency is for those who have hit hard on the 
ragged rocks of fate, to read and listen to those who 
say, "That is life, what more could you expect?" and 
like the hoarse roar of the breakers, they echo his devital- 
izing sentiments by such exclamations as, "That is fate !" 
Such a one is either ignorant of universal law or has for- 
gotten in his fatalism or pessimism what he once knew. 
What a difference between these responses and such as 
Horatio W. Dresser might make to such a voice of mental 
distress. In many chapters of his work, "The Power of 
Silence" he seems to speak directly to those afflicted as 
stammerers are. He would remind us that "Law is uni- 
versal, absolute. Every effect has its cause. [Let the 
stammerer remember this.] As we sow, we reap. Here 
are the simple facts of life. No striving, no effort of will 
or thought can escape them. We forget that the law of 
sowing and reaping applies not merely to putting the hand 
into the fire, but to the thoughts, the spirit we send out 
into the world." 

This leads us to touch again upon another point, im- 
portant to all who would be free from stammering. Those 
who sow bad habits will reap misery and weakness. In- 
temperance of any form will be the undoing of any who 
are addicted to stammering. Annie Payson Call, whose 
book, "Power Through Repose" I have so frequently 
placed in the hands of my pupils, says: "There are 
many petty self-indulgences which, if continually prac- 
ticed, can do great and irreparable harm in undermining 
the will. Every man or woman knows his or her own 
little weaknesses best, but that which leads to the greatest 



58 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

harm is the excuse, 'It is my temperament; if I were not 
tardy, or irritable, or untidy/ — or whatever it may be, — 
'I would not be myself.' " 

The author at no time loses sight of the fact that the 
education of the will is by no means an easy matter. But 
there is this to be remembered: nothing worth while is 
accomplished in a day. If each day finds the stammerer 
resolute in building up habits of strength, endeavoring to 
acquire more fully the habit of concentrating the mind, 
results favorable to his highest welfare will ensue. 

The following is the case of a young woman twenty- 
one years old who began to stammer when about seven 
years of age. Neither parent stammered. Her difficulty 
in speaking was attributed to fast talking. Although she 
stammered severely, whenever she stopped and controlled 
her speed in talking, she did fairly well. Bodily manifest- 
ation of difficulty, aside from speech, was noticed in the 
winking of the eyes and the general physical tension. 
When making purchases her defect troubled her greatly. 
With the exception of frequent headaches, her health was 
very good — and aside from a consciousness of nervous- 
ness in speaking when excited, she was not conscious of 
being nervous. Ordinary conversation troubled her more 
than argument, and the most difficulty was experienced 
on words beginning with c, g, k, s, t, p and b. On 
certain sounds, the effort of production caused a hissing 
sound. A rapid repetition, (stuttering,) also troubled her 
at times. The influence of heredity showed plainly in this 
family, for the cousin of this young woman referred to, 
suffered even more than she from the affliction. She could 
not utter two words consecutively without a struggle, and 
this struggle often marked by painful facial contortions. 
A young woman of about twenty-three, well-born and 
educated, but with a disposition to stammer, inherited 
from her mother, was placed under my instruction. This 
young woman began to stammer when a very little girl. 
She could read aloud by herself without trouble. There 
was no facial contortion save a little quivering of the 



TREATMENT OF STAMMERING AND STUTTERING 59 

mouth. Her greatest difficulty was experienced when 
reading before a crowd and in talking with strangers — 
as well as when excited. Argument troubled her more 
than ordinary conversation. She experienced more 
trouble on vowel than on consonant sounds. An unusual 
point in her case was the fact that her impediment was 
marked when angry. 

The following case shows how variable is the influence 
of heredity. A man of fifty years, of apparently robust 
health, yet nervous, had stammered since earliest infancy. 
His father was a stammerer, as was his uncle on his 
father's side. The sons of the uncle were likewise afflicted. 
While none of the three children of the man in question 
had, as yet, developed any speech defect, the father 
gave particular evidence of being severely afflicted. His 
greatest difficulty was when angry or excited. Usually, 
as is well known, fluency of speech is restored under 
these conditions, the excitement acting as a motor 
stimulant. 

Inherited tendencies are, in some instances, late in de- 
veloping. In the following case, stammering might never 
have been manifested had the proper training and care to 
the development of speech been given. A young woman, 
twenty-four years of age, began to stammer when she was 
twelve years old. Her father stammered slightly, his 
father being subject to a hesitancy in his speech, though 
only slight. The immediate cause assigned for this young 
woman's stammering, was weakness, a general physical 
debility, together with extreme sensitiveness. It troubled 
her more to speak to strangers than to her own people; 
more in conversation than in argument. As to sounds, 
those of m, I, b and r were her stumbling blocks. At 
times she could not speak at all. Even when angry her im- 
pediment manifested itself somewhat. She was, of course, 
very nervous and showed this by her rapid talking. 

The diversity in manifestation in the cases cited shows 
that speech defects have as much variation as other char- 
acteristics inherited. The gravest results may be feared 



60 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

when a child, predisposed to stammer, is brought at a 
tender age in contact with influences conducive to stam- 
mering. In guarding children against speech defects, too 
much cannot be said to those concerned for their welfare. 
It is a point that can hardly be emphasized too strongly — 
that parents should not allow little children to live with, 
nor stay for any length of time with, stammerers. When 
either parent stammers, this injunction presents a serious 
side, for it unmistakably means separation of parent and 
child. But regard for the life-long welfare of the child, 
should make the injunction imperative. The child of 
average intelligence possesses an imitative faculty that 
with a predisposition to stammer back of him, may prove 
a curse. Even in families seemingly free from ancestral 
taint of speech, there may be a tendency needing only 
that mental impetus known as mimicry to develop pro- 
nounced stammering. 

Here is the case of a young woman who stammered 
from babyhood. But why shouldn't she? Her mother 
stammered and her brother, besides an uncle. Her at- 
tempts to speak were accompanied by nervous movements 
of the jaw and twitchings of the body. Two trying situa- 
tions always confronted her, the introduction of people 
and participation in an argument, while a large array of 
sounds occasioned her difficulty. Words beginning with b 
and m occasioned the most trouble, then followed h, k, 
I, w, d and r. Trouble with spinal nerves rendered her 
unusually nervous and, no doubt, aggravated the trouble 
in her speech. 

A Scotchman of nervous, impulsive temperament, in- 
heriting from his maternal grandfather a tendency to 
stammer, began to show the same defect in his speech at 
seven years. His attempts to speak were marked by 
twitching and drawing of the muscles of the mouth, eyes 
and neck. Isolated words like "yes," "no," "please" or 
"here," troubled him exceedingly. Words beginning with 
gl, st, esk, gr, ro, wa, and ar, were most difficult for him. 
To some he could talk with ease, while others knew him 



TREATMENT OF STAMMERING AND STUTTERING 6 1 

as a stammerer, even to the degree of standing transfixed 
at times. 

The daughter of a stammerer had experienced trouble 
from childhood, but never enough to occasion embar- 
rassment until along in mature years. In fact, she had 
never been known to stammer in public, although her 
position brought her frequently before audiences. The 
difficulty began to develop rapidly after stumbling on the 
hard sound of c in the word cripple. A condition of 
fear was set up which aggravated the nerves until other 
public experiences caused deep apprehension. Being nat- 
urally of a melancholy disposition, the defect grew by what 
it fed on — reflections on the embarrassment encountered. 

It seems, from the statements made by these persons and 
countless others in connection with predisposition, that 
one can form no idea as to what the effects of heredity 
will be. There is one point that one, unacquainted with 
data and without wide experience among those with 
speech defects might think settled — that is, the more stam- 
merers there were in preceding generations, the more 
severe a given case in this generation might be. But that 
does not follow. Here is an instance: A young girl of 
fifteen who had stammered since she was three years 
of age, had two grandfathers and two uncles who stam- 
mered, and yet her case did not present as many signs of 
severity as some others. There were a great many 
sounds that troubled her, and she stuttered as well as 
stammered, but there was no muscular contortion of face 
nor body. 

It has been said that in cases of inherited tendency to 
stammer, the condition usually has some immediate cause, 
as in the case of this girl sixteen years old. From her 
mother she inherited a disposition to stammer, but she 
was eight years old before the difficulty manifested itself 
through fright. She stammered all the time, her efforts 
to speak being accompanied by more or less muscular ten- 
sion. It troubled her greatly to speak in a crowd, or 
when excited, tired, or angry. Sometimes she could not 
speak at all, sometimes she stuttered. 



62 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

A young woman of nineteen had stammered ever since 
she began to speak. Her father also stammered when 
he was young and his father stammered. She had 
evidently grown up hearing her relatives struggle to 
speak, for she attributed the development of her affliction 
to mimicry. Her way of describing the struggle through 
which she passed to evolve speech, expresses well the 
effort: "I gasp for breath and move my whole body 
in misery." On the other hand, she experienced the 
throes of silent stammering — at times standing dumb, 
unable to speak; at other times the syllables and 
words flew forth with rapid reiteration, her difficulty 
being added to by stuttering. And yet she did not realize 
that she was of very nervous temperament ! 

Suffering from a form of stammering, not aggravating 
in its manifestations, are those who, in no strenuous man- 
ner, indicate their struggles to speak. Transfixed and 
dumb, they stand in the presence of questioners, neither 
muscles, eyelids, nor sound marking the effort to speak. 
This form of stammering is somewhat like the intermittent 
type. The afflicted, however, suffers from a certain 
harrassment of the nerves, in a lesser degree experienced 
by all stammerers. Sometimes he can speak fluently, at 
others, articulation is blocked and he stands dumb. On 
account of the variation in the degree of difficulty, the 
foregoing resembles intermittent stammering, which is 
one form of the constitutional speech difficulty. 

In cases of intermittent stammering, the severity of 
the malady varies in direct ratio to the health and 
general physical condition. Excellent health and vigor 
report themselves speedily in the improved speech of 
stammerers of this type. Weeks may intervene with but 
slight manifestation of any impediment, while an attack 
of sickness, or general indisposition, brings back the old 
difficulty. 

A man forty-two years of age had always stammered 
more or less. Although neither of his parents were so 
afflicted, his grandfather was a stammerer, as well as an 



TREATMENT OF STAMMERING AND STUTTERING 63 

uncle on his mother's side and one on his father's. This 
was not a severe case, the difficulty manifesting itself 
only occasionally — as in speaking across a room or at 
table. The difficulty was variable as to sounds causing 
stammering. Sometimes it was one sound, sometimes 
another. His defect was at times what might be termed 
silent stammering, at other times intermittent stammering, 
his attempts to speak usually being so thwarted that he 
stood dumb. 

The case of a youth eighteen years of age, illustrates 
the manner in which the effects of heredity show through 
families, with interruptions as to generations. This boy 
began to stammer at two years of age with his first 
attempts to talk. His grandfather stammered slightly. 
The manifestation of the boy's difficulty was largely 
when trying to tell a story. It seems that when two 
years old a sickness weakened him and he began to 
stutter. This condition continued until he was about 
twelve years of age, when a hesitancy developed and the 
form of his defect changed to stammering. 

Oftentimes, in a stammering institution, there are pupils 
under treatment who are hoping brothers or sisters may 
have help later. One of the very worst cases ever 
addressing me for relief, was a young man whose sister 
was similarly afflicted, both inheriting the tendency to 
stammer from the father. Both children were subject 
to facial contortions. The brother presented deplorable 
manifestations of his malady. Besides facial, there was 
bodily contortion, that altogether made him for the time 
being, most inferior and pitiable to behold. 

CORRECTIVE MEASURES FOR STAMMERING CHILDREN 

Why dwell longer upon these various cases showing 
the serious effect of heredity? If the tide of such an 
influence is so far sweeping, will it not go on its way in 
spite of anything we can do? That is the point to be 
given earnest reflection. Training and environment, to- 



64 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

gether with treatment to eradicate defects have much 
to do with eventually extirpating an evil. It behooves 
everyone, guarding the highest welfare of little children, 
to protect their speech, especially if there lies back of the 
present any suggestion of defect in speech. Even the 
slight defects, like small clouds, are liable to gather with 
intensity. If any difficulty appears with the beginning to 
talk, every energy should be bent upon its immediate erad- 
ication. There is no time so opportune as that of 
adolescence. Stammering or stuttering in childhood, 
however slight, is a danger signal which should be 
heeded at once. Every year accentuates the difficulty, as 
a rule. The child who stutters, is at a critical point. It 
should be most carefully trained away from the greater 
impending affliction of stammering. Each added year 
deepens the wrong habits of speech, mental and nervous 
complications increase, self-consciousness adds to the 
difficulty and a wrong, grievous indeed, has been done to 
the future welfare of the unhappy, handicapped sufferer. 

I would not be considered as censuring those who have 
little children in charge during the formative period of 
speech. I write this not to criticise, but to enlighten and 
to cause those to reflect who have never given serious 
attention to this subject. It would be no small accomplish- 
ment to save some from the humiliation of the stam- 
merer's condition, and, therefore, I will present some 
things to avoid and some to foster in the speech develop- 
ment of little children. 

Referring to the process in the acquisition of speech, 
the meaning of a word is always the memory of a sen- 
sation or a group of sensations. The first utterances are 
imitations of words frequently heard by the child, without 
any sense of their meaning. This imitating process is an 
acquired reflex. Whatever the child hears, right or 
wrong, is silently making its impression upon the sen- 
sitive brain. If the impressions are those of speech, 
marred and jumbled by stammering or stuttering, the 
child's future, as far as speech is concerned, is in peril. 



TREATMENT OF STAMMERING AND STUTTERING 65 

If the child hears either stammering or stuttering and 
comes to maturity with speech unaffected, it is what one 
might term good luck. The writer recalls a tiny girl 
whose parents employed about their place a man who 
stuttered. That little girl used to be heard, walking apart 
by herself, trying over the halting speeches to v/hich she 
had listened. Had there been the least tendency to stam- 
mer or stutter, that child would have suffered severely 
from innocent mimicry. The fact that she said over to 
herself what she had heard, showed the deep impression 
made upon the child mind. She, however, escaped the 
affliction. This instance is named as an unusual exception. 

It seems sometimes little short of phenomenal the way 
in which word impressions are stored away, both by 
children and adults. When least conscious of it, certain 
sounds, words or the manner of expression are impressed 
at the speech center of the brain to be brought forth 
in a way surprising at times. Very little children, to 
whom certain lines have been recited or sung, after a 
lapse of days or weeks, will suddenly utter with startling 
clearness what had been apparently forgotten. A further 
illustration of the unconscious impressions made on the 
speech centers of the brain, is the authenticated case 
of a young woman employed in the family of a scholarly 
man who often read aloud at home from books written 
in ancient languages. This young woman, long after- 
ward, in the delirium of fever was heard to recite whole 
passages of these classical works. This actual occurrence 
shows in another way how susceptible is the brain, and 
is related to force home the matter in hand, that when 
least expected a certain dangerous foundation may be 
laid for defects of speech. 

If speech itself is developed by imitation, it is clear 
that all such pronounced and glaring defects as stammer- 
ing and stuttering would stand before the learner of 
speech in a way threatening to the welfare of the child. 
Persons of extreme sensitiveness, and with large imitative 
faculty find it difficult not to follow the contortions of 



66 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

the severe stammerer when there is no thought of mimicry 
or mockery. Such sensitive persons find it necessary to 
center all their will-power in order to dispel the deep 
impression of the stammerer's struggles. 

Though the great predisposing cause of stammering is 
heredity, there are, as said before, immediate causes which 
exert their influence during childhood, for most of the 
stammering or stuttering, afflicting adults, began to mani- 
fest between the ages of four and ten years. 

HARSHNESS AGGRAVATES STAMMERING 

Hectoring, teasing and making-believe, when they are 
to the annoyance of little ones, should be absolutely for- 
bidden. So grave are the results of frightening children, 
that even after maturity and judgment have come to 
wield their influence in other directions, the objects of 
fear set up, still continue to assert their power. To allow 
anything to disturb the courage and confidence of a 
little child, is worse than I have words to characterize the 
offense. It is depriving him of what should be the 
possession of every one who expects a reasonable degree 
of success in this world. 

Without seeming censorious, or condemning those hav- 
ing under their care little children, it is hard to discuss 
the relationship of stammering and the fright caused by 
harshness. It seems incredible, but it is nevertheless true, 
that many who probably might have escaped the affliction 
of stammering under gentler influences, have come to 
maturity handicapped because of the severity of the 
austere harshness exercised over them. Those who have 
never stammered do not understand the extreme and 
peculiar sensitiveness of those so predisposed. The 
erroneous idea that discipline requires that constant 
menacing fear be held over a child like a lash, is altogether 
a wrong — one almost irreparable as far as the welfare of 
the child is concerned. Punishment has never eradicated 
stammering and it never will. The more censure and 



TREATMENT OF STAMMERING AND STUTTERING 67 

severe treatment visited upon the child, the more active 
are the very forces that impede his speech. The child 
who lives in constant fear of punishment, especially pun- 
ishment because he stammers, is to be pitied. He is like 
a man walking beneath the low timbers of a garret. The 
constant stooping beneath the terrifying power of an- 
other's will, incapacitates his own assertive power along 
right lines. He cannot straighten up and express his 
own individuality because of the paralyzing fear that 
possesses him. And this fear shatters his fluency of 
speech. 

EXERCISE SYMPATHY WITH JUDGMENT 

In speaking against over-severity and harshness with 
children inclined to stammer, the writer would as earnestly 
urge the avoidance of the other extreme — entire neglect 
of discipline. Sometimes it is difficult to decide which is 
the greater wrong to the child. It is not, however, difficult 
to understand how it is that a child who stammers is 
humored and protected from hardships. To those who 
are sympathetic, nothing seems more natural than to hu- 
mor a child who seems to have all he can bear struggling 
with his impediment. But sympathy must be exercised 
with judgment. Repeatedly, stammerers have told me 
that the training they eventually carried out was harder 
for them because they had never known much of self- 
discipline. Sorrowful over the repeated failures encoun- 
tered because never disciplined at home, stammerers have 
related to me their bitter experiences. 

STUDY THE CHILD'S NEEDS 

What can be gained from considering these two ex- 
tremes — over-discipline or the entire absence of it — in the 
case of stammering children? It should emphasize the 
importance of studying the child's needs, his temperament 
and the general trend of his mind. Wherein is he weak? 



68 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

Firmness and decision without harshness should be exer- 
cised in his control if he is inclined to stammer. Daily 
set before him little tasks not too irksome, and see that 
they are properly attended to. This procedure helps to 
develop the will-power in the right way and leads to 
concentration in greater future understakings. 

It is my desire to make this special reference to chil- 
dren inclined to stammer, a help to those not realizing 
the manner in which speech is acquired and developed, 
for it is well known that to ward off trouble, is easier 
than to cope with it when it is present. There are times 
when comparatively little attention would save a child 
from years of misery, such as stammering and stuttering 
entail. 



OVERTAXING OF CHILDREN 

Another thing to be avoided is the overtaxing of 
children during the "cute" age, when they are making 
their first attempts at speech. The coaching of baby 
speakers in long recitations that would tax the mature 
mind, is advised against. The child, eager and of unusual 
mental activity on the language side, — fairly foundered 
on words — stumbles once in a while under the unusual 
strain and is unduly embarrassed by being shown off when 
least expected, starts on the stammerer's path. This is 
all done unwittingly, but the warning should stand that 
a child overly precocious should be kept from a practice 
dangerous to its powers of speech. Kindred to this mis- 
take is the sending of little children too early into the 
graded schools. The very fact of their eager desire to 
learn, should be a warning to restrain them from over- 
doing, especially when the physical growth is not keeping 
pace with the mental development. The need of unusual 
care, when children are just recovering from illness, should 
be emphasized here. Many a stammerer is what he 
is because of the strain brought upon him while the 
body was frail and the nerves unbalanced from illness. 



TREATMENT OF STAMMERING AND STUTTERING 69 

Whether at home or at school, a child just recovering 
from an illness, should have careful guidance as to speech. 

VIGILANT CARE NECESSARY 

To say just where the trouble lies, how it is that ner- 
vously organized children develop into stammerers, why 
more have not been checked before the age of self-con- 
sciousness arrives, is difficult. One with a wide experience 
in treating the speech defects of stammerers, is liable to 
appear harshly critical in reaching conclusions. But could 
the public know what the instructor often deduces from 
the experiences related to him by those who have 
struggled up from childhood, stammering, there would be 
not a few instances where vigilant care would put an 
end to speech difficulty before maturity. For one who 
has been over the road and who knows the pitfalls where 
dangers lurk and where the descent into the woes of 
inveterate stammering is so rapid — for such a one not 
to speak by way of warning and advice would be short of 
duty. 

An important factor in the stammerer's cure is the 
fullest and highest cultivation of the powers of his mind 
upon the side of will. He has, as a rule, just as perfect 
organs of articulation, as persons not thus addicted. 
Moreover, he is to keep this in mind to encourage him 
to give serious thought to the mind side of his cure. 
Frequent reference has been made to the necessity of 
everyone who has ever stammered, guarding his health, 
keeping at the highest point of being — health of mind 
and body. Thought upon all things that will tend to 
make the physical being normal and healthy, should en- 
gage the mind of the stammerer. Everything that touches 
upon his daily life and habits at any point, should be 
weighed, considered, pronounced good and acceptable, or 
rejected as harmful or worthless according to its influence 
upon his precious possession, health. If in any way the 
thing under consideration wars against his highest con- 



70 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

dition of health, let him reject it as an enemy to his 
speech. 

This manner of weighing cause and effect, deciding 
relative values, has helped more than one person in fore- 
going something detrimental to their welfare. He must 
in all things seek the golden medium ground of temper- 
ance. An uncontrolled appetite, a temper that has no 
governor, a disposition that rises to heights of ecstatic 
joy, only to drop to the valley of despondency, all points 
to weakness of the will and a lack of balance. If the 
stammerer finds that in any of these directions lies his 
weakness, he will be vastly benefitted by thinking out of 
these ways into habits of mind more normal and more 
evenly balanced. The man of rightly directed will is he 
who is able to avoid extremes and the same control mani- 
fested in these matters of disposition and appetite will 
help the stammerer in his contest for fee and untrammeled 
speech. One has but to experiment to find this is true. 

AVOID WORRY 

An enemy to the acquisition of free and tranquil speech 
is worry. Worry is a canker that eats the heart out of 
much of the willing and energetic world. Worry is the 
germ that grows and grows, eating from the heart out- 
ward and verily destroying the fruit of life. To change 
the figure in relationship to the case of the stammerer, 
it is the grim black course down which he often walks, 
his speech the prey of a hundred lurking evils that infest 
the black and narrow uncertain road of worry. As soon 
as the stammerer is well on the road of worry, before 
and behand, in every direction, rise up the very imps that 
throttle his will-power and leave him helpless and useless 
as far as the positive, achieving man is concerned. Worry 
is a dark distracting road, and that power of the road 
known as will is not in the ascendancy when anyone 
worries. Men of strong wills have not been men easily 
overcome by worry. In the face of great odds they have 



TREATMENT OF STAMMERING AND STUTTERING Jl 

been able to lie down and sleep. Why? Because 
unappreciative of the possible impending struggles 
through which they must pass on the morrow? No, 
rather because they knew that rest was the first perquisite 
for the unusual trials and that their first equipment must 
be quiet nerves and a clear head in order to clearly cope 
with the crisis at hand. Therefore, the will was brought 
to bear upon the situation, and worry fled. Worry, like 
all other negative states of mind, must retreat when the 
will is centered on some good and positive accomplish- 
ment. So important do I consider this matter of the 
stammerer's banishing worry, that I quote what Silas 
Wright Geis, B. S., Ph. D., writes on "Conquering and 
dispelling health's greatest and commonest enemy, the 
habit of worrying" : 

"Worry is a great destroyer of happiness. No other 
mental process consumes brain substance with such rapid- 
ity. Modern research has proven that mental states have 
a direct effect on the stomach and intestines, the con- 
necting link being the pneumogastric nerve. A pleasant 
condition of mind promotes healthy action on the part 
of the digestive and assimilative organs. It is with good 
reason, therefore, that the family physician so often says 
in part, and above all, don't worry." * * * * Dr. 
Geis goes on to state the following remedy for over- 
coming worry : "How can you get the harassing thought 
off your mind ? By reasoning with yourself thus : 
Either this thing is past remedy or else it isn't. If 
it is, I had better not waste time thinking about it, and 
subject myself to no more nervous strain over it. If it 
isn't, what I want to do is to find the easiest and most 
expedient way out of my difficulty. Having devoted my 
entire and continuous attention to the matter of my worry 
for some time, and having lost considerable sleep and 
appetite over it, my brain is not in a condition to think 
and to reason to the best advantage just now. So I'll take 
a short mental vacation and then return to this thing; 
prepared and resolved to think a way out of it. * * * 



72 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

A good way to allure yourself away from the object of 
your anxiety is to select some incident, situation or period 
of your life that is marked, in an unusual degree, by 
happiness. , 

"Two mental objects cannot occupy your whole atten- 
tion at one time, any more than two physical objects 
can occupy the same space. Your salvation, therefore, 
lies in making the joyful picture the sole occupant and 
possessor of your brain. You can, if you really want 
to use your will power. ***** 

"And now, for your reward. Your worry obtrudes 
itself less often, and each successive time it is easier to 
dispel. And finally comes that splendid exaltation, born 
of the consciousness that you, by your own exertions, 
are not only conquering more and more each day, each 
hour, this particular worry, this anxiety, but are storing 
up within your being all future instigators of unrest. 
Without being conscious of it, at first, you gradually be- 
come, in an ever Augmented degree, that supremest of 
beings — master of yourself." 

Had Geis been writing for stammerers particularly, he 
could not have expressed his ideas more in harmony with 
those which every successful teacher of this afflicted class 
must hold. He so emphasizes this matter of banishing 
worry and its consequent effect upon mastery of self, that 
I wish to bring his very manner of expression to the 
notice of every stammerer who is on the golden quest of 
perfect speech. In different parts of our country to-day 
clubs are forming to combat worry. "Don't Worry" is 
their watchword, and the instigator of the movement has 
written forcefully of the cogent need of banishing this 
enemy to human progress. And every stammerer will 
find in his own life a verification of this truth — if he 
banishes worry — that he will become in increasing degree, 
master of himself. 

Worry kills. Worry tears down and weakens, depletes 
energy, increases nervousness, destroys the mind, inter- 
feres with digestion, creates stammering and plays havoc 



TREATMENT OF STAMMERING AND STUTTERING 73 

generally. Why worry ? Does it make matters any better ? 
Doesn't it make stammering worse? Is not stammering 
in severe cases largely the result of worry and fear? 
How, then, can the man or woman that stammers mend 
matters by worrying? The hardest types become 
"hardest" because of worry. I know it is difficult to keep 
cheerful when sorrows confront you, when you realize 
that many of the pleasures of the world are denied you, 
when you are held up to mockery and laughed at because 
of an infirmity. But why worry? If the worry in itself 
makes your condition of stammering worse and embitters 
your cup of sadness, is it not better to cast it aside ? After 
all, when we consider the pitiable condition of others who 
are more sadly afflicted than those addicted to stammer- 
ing, when we consider their condition of hopelessness, we 
sincerely believe, after all, that stammerers and stutterers 
have much, and very much indeed, to be thankful for. 

At the World's Fair (Louisiana Purchase Exposition), 
in the Educational building, where thousands of edu- 
cators and others interested in my work saw demon- 
strations of the methods which I employ to effect 
the cure in cases of stammering and stuttering, I 
was positioned with my classes directly opposite and 
within twenty feet of the schools for the deaf and blind. 
Here I became acquainted with a number of blind and 
deaf pupils under instruction, giving practical demon- 
strations of the methods pursued. What impressed me 
more than anything else in connection with their advance- 
ment, was their apparent satisfied and contented manner, 
their cheerfulness at all times; yet they suffered greater 
misery and were a thousand times worse off than my 
pupils who stammered. Their condition was, indeed, a 
pitiable one compared with even the worst case of stam- 
mering under my instruction. Comparing their lot with 
stammering, they regarded their affliction as being the 
more serious, still they were cheerful and even joked 
and laughed with me and with one another in making the 
comparison. 



74 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

After all, when we look around on all sides it seems 
that stammerers have much to be thankful for, because 
they surely can be cured of their infirmity, while there 
are many afflictions as severe and even worse and from 
which any who suffer may never hope for relief. 

The cheerful view of conditions as we find them is 
the view for the stammerer and one that will in the 
majority of cases require cultivation to a degree. The 
stammerer usually is not inclined to look upon his con- 
dition with cheerfulness of spirit, but he who does will 
surely win. Positiveness and determination, coupled with 
cheerfulness, will work wonders in the treatment and 
cure of stammering and stuttering. It sometimes happens 
that the stammerer becomes impatient waiting for results. 
The idea has probably been held out to him that he can 
be cured in a few days, or he may have imagined that 
his case is less severe than is really true. He may 
compare his condition of stammering with the condition 
of another who has been cured and imagine because his 
difficulty is less aggravated in manifestation that it will 
be easily removed. When it comes to the actual getting 
down to business in the matter of overcoming his stam- 
mering, he may find that his case is more difficult than 
he had anticipated, and this may discourage him. 

It is a sad mistake for any under treatment to allow 
themselves to become discouraged simply because they 
find that their speech trouble is more aggravated and 
deeper seated than they had anticipated. Of course, this 
rarely occurs; the reverse condition of affairs being the 
case generally. The stammerer usually imagines that his 
case will be much more difficult to cure than is really true, 
but occasionally there is one who finds that his stammer- 
ing was more deeply seated and more chronic than he 
had supposed. Patience in any case is necessary and 
perseverance always. I may well and very appropriately 
quote here the old proverb, "Time does not preserve that 
which it costs no time to create." This is particularly 
true in the treatment and cure of stammering. The 



TREATMENT OF STAMMERING AND STUTTERING 75 

permanency of the cure, it seems to me, is the object of 
the treatment and without that permanency all effort is in 
vain. Who that stammers wants to be cured for a week 
or a month, or even for a year, to find that the demon 
has returned with all of the former horrors and con- 
ditions present? Better never hope for relief than to 
be cured (apparently) and stammer again. 

It is largely to avoid the recurrence of stammering or 
the possibility of it that the treatment is prolonged for 
a time, as the more thoroughly eradicated it is at the 
time of treatment the more likely the permanency of the 
cure to follow. There was a time, and only a few years 
ago, when those engaged in the treatment and cure of 
stammering and stuttering aimed largely to cure their 
pupils, little thinking of the possibility of after occurrence 
and in the majority of cases as little caring whether or 
not the cure effected was lasting. Apparently, there are 
still some of these unscrupulous pretenders engaged in the 
work. They appear to regard more particularly their own 
interests, so far as the money to be made is concerned, 
than they do the interests and welfare of those who un- 
knowingly submit themselves to this kind of treatment 
and business methods. Permanency of results is the 
object sought in the cure of stammering, under any prop- 
erly managed treatment, and it is to be hoped that those 
who are seriously contemplating treatment, will study 
carefully this phase of the problem before entering upon 
any course of instruction. The lasting cure is the cure 
that is ideal — and a cure to be lasting and permanent 
necessarily requires to have had ample time in which to 
establish conditions such as will stand under the most 
trying circumstances. 

You ask me, "What is the ideal cure ?" My answer is, 
An ideal cure is one that is permanent; a cure that 
makes your talking equal to any occasion; that enables 
you to accost a man on the street and submit a business 
proposition to him, to ask him questions or to answer any 
questions which he may ask you; to approach him in 



j6 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

his office, if needs be, and speak to him there without the 
slightest fear or hesitancy. That enables you, under these 
circumstances and conditions, to answer any question that 
he may choose to ask you; to speak from a platform at a 
public gathering, to buy or to sell goods, to engage in 
parlor conversation, either in your own home or else- 
where, without fear or embarrassment; in fact, the ideal 
cure is the cure that is absolutely perfect in every respect, 
and nothing short of this should satisfy any one who 
stammers. It is, usually, because ideals are not high that 
we find in some cases a carelessness and indifference with 
reference to the outcome of treatment. This attitude, 
however, is rare, as the majority of those who have come 
to me for instruction have manifested a strong desire 
to overcome their stammering and have worked persis- 
tently to conquer the difficulty. It cannot be said of those 
who stammer that they are indifferent, as among the 
thousands with whom I have personally come in contact 
very few have shown this disposition in their attitude 
towards the work. The average man or woman who 
stammers is anxious to be cured and generally, shown the 
way to succeed, will work with a vim and determination 
which in some cases they had never before shown in 
any undertaking. 

Stammerers and stutterers keenly feel the humiliation 
that grows upon them because of their infirmity; they 
are tossed aside in the struggle for success, ridiculed 
and taunted; thus are more than anxious for escape from 
the enemy, or shall I say, more than anxious to crush the 
enemy before them. Reader, are you a stammerer? 
Granted, that you are, let me urge you to take up the 
weapons of warfare against this monster that for years 
has been and even now is crushing you to the earth; 
that would burden your life with sorrow, that would close 
to you all avenues to success, that would shut off from 
you the pleasures of social contact and enjoyment with 
your fellows, that would eventually rejoice in your defeat 
and defiantly boast of having conquered you. A monster 



TREATMENT OF STAMMERING AND STUTTERING JJ 

no less than a coward, this stammering demon stays in 
hiding, awaiting a time when he is especially unwelcomed 
to pounce forth in defiance of your greatest efforts to 
ward him off. 

STAMMERING PECULIAR 

Stammering, in some respects, is very peculiar. When 
you want to talk well, you can't without stammering. 
When you don't care whether you stammer or not, you 
can speak perfectly. Of course there are exceptions to 
this, but nevertheless, the rule seems to obtain in a good 
many cases. Conditions seems to have much to do with 
perfection in talking, for those who stammer. When you 
go to a store to purchase you find there are certain clerks 
with whom you can talk without hesitancy; while if you 
were expected to converse with others, you would be 
wholly unable to say a word. You can talk perfectly to 
those who have never heard you stammer, and who, you 
know, understand nothing regarding your affliction; while 
to your own friends, parents or relatives you can scarcely 
speak in a connected manner. Sometimes in other cases 
the reverse condition of affairs is manifested. There are 
so many different conditions in stammering that it would 
require many pages to cover them. No two persons stam- 
mer in the same manner. Even habits of contortion are 
different. Sometimes, I think, I have witnessed every 
conceivable kind of contortion in connection with stam- 
mering, only to find a case such as I have never seen 
before. I have never known two persons who stammered 
exactly in the same manner or alike. In some instances 
I have found cases that bore much of a resemblance; yet 
upon examination there has always been some difference 
manifested. People look alike, yet there is a difference, 
and even those who bear a marked resemblance toward 
one another, usually show a wide difference in disposition. 

There are no two leaves in the forest exactly alike, 
and even though there are countless grains of sand on 



78 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

the seashore, it is claimed that no two are exactly alike 
in minute particular. Where a number in the same family 
stammer, (all due to a parent cause,) it will be found 
sometimes, and is usually the case, that there is no simi- 
larity whatever between such cases, so far as the manifes- 
tation of the stammering is concerned. One member 
stammers in a peculiar manner by twisting his lower jaw 
sidewise, another stammers by slapping himself violently, 
while a third manifests his difficulty by remaining silent, 
unable to utter a word, the only evidence of his stammer- 
ing amounting to one or more of the many symptoms 
which usually accompany such conditions. Just why those 
who stammer contort their features, twist their limbs and 
otherwise make themselves appear ridiculous, is hard to 
tell. The condition grows upon them gradually until 
finally it becomes fixed. Usually in the beginning it is 
not marked. It may consist of some simple movement 
ot the body, such as the movement of the arm, the 
throwing of the head forward or backward, twisting the 
tongue in the mouth, protruding the tongue, allowing 
saliva to run from the mouth, stamping the foot or feet, 
kicking the leg, catching hold of a chair, or grasping 
anything firm, raising the body on the toes, turning the 
body or walking up and down. All of these peculiar 
antics and a thousand others are practiced by stammerers 
and stutterers in their usually ineffectual efforts to speak. 
This constant nervous strain, the result of many failures, 
gradually weakens the constitution, saps the vitality of 
the sufferer and makes his condition more and more 
pitiable. 

It will be noticed that stammerers who have suffered 
long years from their affliction, grow more and more 
nervous, finally becoming erratic and whimsical. The 
former poise and equilibrium of control which, in their 
younger days, they were able to exercise to a degree, is 
lost, their speech difficulty becomes more and more 
chronic, they lose confidence, they doubt their ability to 
succeed. Ostracising themselves from social intercourse 



TREATMENT OF STAMMERING AND STUTTERING 79 

with their fellows, they finally fall into a simple manner 
of living, satisfied in a degree because their circumstances 
compel them to be satisfied, yet realizing how much of 
the enjoyments of the world they have been deprived of 
because of their affliction. Some such souls have fought 
a hard battle in their efforts to succeed; others are still 
fighting, but against odds. These must realize, sooner or 
later, the great disadvantage they are suffering in a world 
of competition that is growing more fierce each year. 
Stammerers are rapidly awakening to a realization of 
the fact that one's ability to speak has much to do with 
success in any avenue of business or social life into which 
he enters. 

COOPERATION NECESSARY 

"Indifference never wrote great works, nor thought out 
striking inventions, nor reared the solemn architecture 
that awes the soul, nor breathed sublime music, nor 
painted glorious pictures, nor undertook heroic philan- 
thropies. All these grandeurs are born of enthusiasm 
and are done heartily." 

I have quoted this ringing passage that the mind of 
every reader may be centered on the thought, that co- 
operation, coupled with determination, is necesary for the 
success of any project. The cure of stammering is no 
exception to this rule. 

Sometimes I am asked whether I meet any hopeless 
cases of stammering. I am compelled to say truly that I 
do come across cases that are apparently hopeless. This 
may startle some earnest, aspiring readers in view of all 
I have written upon other occasions. But I would call 
their attention to the phrase, "apparently hopeless." I do 
not write these words for the discouragement of the 
earnest and purposeful who look forward and are working 
for a cure for stammering. Strange to say, it does not 
touch them, though it does concern them. It should in- 
spire them to unremitting effort. For determination to be 



80 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

cured must and will so permeate the being of him whose 
purpose is fixed, that he will brook no defeat. Such as he 
does not dread to know that the cure for stammering in- 
volves self-denial — a ruling out of everything that injures 
body, mind or soul. The stammerer whose mind is fixed 
upon being freed from his wretched defeat, looks as cheer- 
fully upon the instructions he is to follow as the very sick 
man, who is very conscious of his precarious condition, 
looks upon directions given by his physician. Both are 
willing to follow the advice of those who know the road 
back to health, whether it be of body or mind — as the 
latter is very important to the stammerer. His disease 
is not visible physically, that is, the ailment itself lies 
far hidden in the character of certain brain nerve fibres — 
but the manifestation of his trouble is before the world in 
most cases. 

I do not shrink from telling the determined person 
who stammers what he must do to free himself, of his 
serious burden. Unremitting application of the principles 
imparted to him for the needs of his speech, is the price 
he must pay for a cure for his stammering. The will 
of the stammerer, shining and bright and strong, single- 
hearted and with a clear purpose, is guided for the con- 
test to rout and sweep away every vestige of difficulty. 
The stammerer must summon his will to help him just 
as a ruler calls upon his strongest man in times of trouble. 
That strong man, we infer, is steady of nerve and clear 
in brain. He has had previous preparation for the trials 
of the present hour. He does not spring up full-fledged 
as did the soldiers of that mythical Greek hero. In- 
adequate preparation shatters more than one career. The 
one-time stammerer, who would find his will bearing out 
the command of his mind, is the one who has prepared 
for the exigencies of speech by careful training of his 
will. This one-time stammerer will tell you that day after 
day he set himself tasks to be performed and did them 
at the time allotted and set apart for them. His reason 
for so doing was two-fold; the fulfillment of duty and 
the education and discipline of his own will. 



TREATMENT OF STAMMERING AND STUTTERING 8l 

If the stammerer will only enter into the work of being 
cured of stammering, with one-half as much energy and 
spirit as the average business man who succeeds in these 
days of close competition, the number of stammerers 
would soon perceptibly grow less. Indeed, there have 
been large numbers who have done so, and like strong 
rays of light to cheer and encourage others who look for- 
ward to new life of free speech, right here I shall quote 
some of their sentences. 

One who is full of enthusiasm and renewed purpose 
because his free speech seems to have given him a new 
lease of life, says: "No other (than success) can be the 
result, if faithful practice and persistence are put to the 
test." 

Another severe stammerer, who had reached middle 
life before realizing there was a change for him to re- 
habilitate his speech, says: "The word failure should be 
obliterated from the dictionary (as far as a cure for 
stammering is concerned)." 

That stammering cannot only be cured, but the speech 
can be greatly improved thereafter, is evidenced by these 
words from another: "I can talk better than when I 
completed my course." 

Another who has gained a new outlook on life because 
now unhampered by his speech, has written of the satis- 
faction he experiences because he can talk, and considers 
the time and energy he put into his work one of his 
most valuable investments which he will never regret. 

Confirming what I have said repeatedly as to the neces- 
sity of application, a former stammerer writes: "The 
result of my observations is that 'for those who are un- 
willing to work or follow instructions, it is the same as 
anywhere in the world, they will fail miserably'." 

One former stammerer writes of the necessity for those 
afflicted as he was, to cast aside pessimism and all its 
kindred, for, says he, "Stammerers are from their very 
nature doubters." Some who stammer or have stammered 
may resent this, but it is, nevertheless, true. The fruitless 

6 



82 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

struggles of the stammerer who has had no light on his 
difficulty, nor positive help for all he suffers, is oftentimes 
one of the most miserable mortals. He will tell you he 
has frequently taken new heart and started over and tried 
again, only to be pitched steep down over the jagged 
rocks of humiliation and failure. His sensitive nature 
has writhed under the jeers of the shallow and thought- 
less each time he has failed in his speech — this failure 
possibly often ludicrous because of his contortions. Then 
he may confess how less and less he has frequented the 
society of others, hoping thus to be free from all that 
glaring light of criticism. Thus has he grown more 
morbid. 

If a man fails in his attempt to be cured of stammering, 
we usually find that his failure is due to the lack of 
application and persistence. The man who fails in busi- 
ness, fails because he has not been obedient to the laws 
governing business. A close scrutiny into almost any 
failure, reveals a lack of energy centered on the particular 
work in question. 

In the early days of our country, before the general 
use of matches, persons in remote places kindled their 
fires with a "burning glass," which resembled a reading 
glass of modern times, only its two surfaces were more 
convex. By converging the sun's rays to a focus, an in- 
tense heat was generated — even to the point of ignition. 
What produced the fire? Concentration of sun's rays. 
And so it is in any undertaking — the desired result can 
only be obtained by concentration. If it is the cure of 
stammering, every energy of the stammerer must be cen- 
tered on his cure, for the time being. 

One of the best cures that ever went out from my 
institute, was a young man who stands out in my memory 
as one coming into the work as though ready for a race. 
He looked — so determined was the very poise of his 
eye — as if he really saw the goal toward which he was 
headed. It is needless to say his goal was perfect fluency 
of speech. His preparation was the complete throwing 



TREATMENT OF STAMMERING AND STUTTERING 83 

off of everything that would hinder his progress. He 
had been addicted to smoking, but realizing that smoking 
was contrary to. the rules for his improvement, he gave 
up the habit. He saw that this "put vigor in the body, 
intelligence in the brain, and spirit in the whole con- 
stitution/' therefore he went cheerfully about it. He 
illustrated (this pupil of determination and energy) that 
"the secret of success is constancy to purpose." 

Carlyle says, "A man with a half-volition goes back- 
wards and forwards, and makes no way on the smoothed 
road; a man with a whole volition (will) advances on 
the roughest, and will reach his purpose, if there be 
even a little wisdom in it." 

The man who stammers though he may not be 
of brilliant intellect, will also advance if he but educates 
his will and avails himself of the opportunities now 
afforded for the cure of stammering. 

It was just the other day that a very earnest man, who 
is bound to be cured of stammering, asked a friend, who 
is a decided optimist: "Have you read the Rubaiyat of 
Omar Khayyam?" The other replied, "Yes, but not 
often — among other things it is so full of fatalism." 
"Well," replied the other, the convalescing stammerer, 
"you know we stammerers are, many of us, inclined to- 
ward fatalism; that is, through our suffering, we have 
come to believe that all is as it is, 'through inevitable 
necessity/ " 

Now, there may be those who differ from me — but my 
experience has revealed to me that fatalism and pessimism 
go hand in hand just as certain creatures infest miasmatic 
places. The air of the swamp is made noxious, and even 
dangerous, by the presence of malaria infesting it. The 
spirit atmosphere of the fatalist is full of pessimism. If 
not the worst form of pessimism, at least "a disposition 
to take the least hopeful view of things" — looking not 
into the light, but upon the dark side of things. It is 
concerning this habit of mind that I wish to speak em- 
phatically to stammerers. It is by no means a new subject 



84 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

to be discussed, but is of relative importance to the wel- 
fare of him who would be cured of stammering. 

For a long time it has been known that certain states 
of mind affect the chemical changes in the body. That 
is, physicians have known it, and well-informed indi- 
viduals who have made a study of physiology, have known 
it, but a general knowledge of this has only in recent 
years begun to take hold of the popular mind. To diverge 
from the subject with which we started, it would be 
a profitable study of influences to notice how emphatically 
the emotions influence the physical life of people. When 
one speaks of emotions the superficial think, usually, of 
love or hate. In this discussion you are to think of the 
feelings or emotions as either gentle or painful. Physi- 
cians tell us that hatred, jealously and kindred 

emotions work havoc with the fluids of the body. Violent 
illness and even death follows high tides of these 
emotions. On the other hand, joy and an exercise of 
the pleasurable emotions have brought people up and out 
of the shadows and weakness of sickness, and even death 
itself. New hope, gladness, joy, stimulate anew the 
circulation. As the warm sun of the new spring days 
wakens the sap, calling it through trunk and limb and 
branch, so the pleasurable emotions change the currents 
of the body, causing the blood corpuscles to move with a 
certain healthful motion. No stammerer can afford to 
lose sight of the stimulating effect of good, wholesome, 
cheerful thoughts as constant companions. The influence 
of the pessimist is one that the stammerer should shun 
as a poison. For whatever lessens his own power, is 
detrimental to the stammerer's progress in the cure of 
his defect. A pessimist emits an atmosphere like a fog, 
as far as the spirit health of those around him is con- 
cerned. He dampens the ardor of the individual, and the 
best that is within us dwarfs under his cynical gaze, 
unless we have the ability to assert our individuality in 
a marked degree. 

This brings us to another matter well worth the stam- 



TREATMENT OF STAMMERING AND STUTTERING 85 

merer's consideration. If you have ever stammered, avoid 
as far as possible, association with those who stammer. 
You cannot afford to keep fresh in mind the impression of 
your own early struggle. It behooves every stammerer to 
leave behind, as rapidly as possible, every remembrance of 
the sensations he experienced when a stammerer. It can 
readily be seen that constant or even frequent association 
with those who struggle and suffer visibly from the throes 
of stammering, causes the average stammerer to live 
over again what he has endured. There are some nervous, 
sensitive people of normal speech who declare they could 
not come constantly in contact with stammerers without 
it affecting them disastrously. 

Then for him who ever hopes to be cured of stammer- 
ing, there is necessity for careful talking. Rapidity of 
speech in itself is an index of overstrung nerves and there 
are many who, having studied their own needs, have come 
to acknowledge this. Then some have learned that to 
slacken up and speak slowly, rests the nerves immeasur- 
ably. I am speaking now, not particularly of stammerers, 
but of nervous persons in general. 

Stammerers, many of them, suffer from the rapidity 
with which their thoughts spring up and crowd upon 
each other for utterance. A calmer, more deliberate mode 
of utterance seems to put a check on the rapidity with 
which the thoughts spring up. The mental confusion 
from the "mob" of struggling ideas is, therefore, calmed 
by the assertion of the will. 

Now, what is a stammerer to do whose whole life effort 
at speech has been to speak rapidly all that he could 
speak? There is but one answer — Go slowly. But how? 
First of all there must be an abundance of reading aloud, 
applying what has been learned concerning the manner 
of approachiing and uttering sounds that have beeen 
difficult. In the beginning, choose such selections as are 
very quiet, but rhythmical that the thought itself may 
have a tranquilizing influence over the mind. Place in 
contrast the two following quotations, the first from Scott 



/ 

86 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

and the second from Burns, well known poems : — 
"Waken lords and ladies gay; 
O'er the mountains dawns the day !" 

Notice the short, quick syllables when it is read natur- 
ally, and contrast the same with the quiet musical lines of 
"Afton Water"— 

"Flow gently, sweet Afton, among thy green braes 

Flow gently, I'll sing thee a song in thy praise !" 

In selecting prose for reading in the days when the 
objective point is slackening speech-speed, choose that 
which is rhythmical, tranquil and even sonorous. 
Prolong each syllable successively until the next is ready 
to come in. The next is ready for utterance in this kind 
of practice when you will it is to come. 

All of the work should be done in a voice pitched low. 
There is far less nervous strain when one speaks in a 
lower pitch. The very nervous, habitually key the voice 
high — at least until training has taught the relief coming 
from the lowered speaking voice. 

One more suggestion for those who stammer. Culti- 
vate a spirit of doing all things resolutely and definitely. 
Resolution to do is in itself a source of strength. "Reso- 
lution," says John Foster, "is omnipotent," — he that 
resolves upon any great and good end, has, by 
that very resolution, scaled the chief barrier to it. He 
will find such resolution removing difficulties, searching 
out or making means, giving courage for despondency 
and strength for weakness, and like the star to the wise 
men of old, ever guiding him nearer to prefection." 

Ralph Waldo Emerson says, "A good intention clothes 
itself with power." 

If the stammereer has resolved he will not be a stam- 
merer any longer, he has done one thing essential to a cure 
of his infirmity. The resolution paves the way for ways 
and means which he must then seek out to fulfill his pur- 
pose. Of course, the way will not open all paved before 
him — but his newly awakened resolve will quicken his 
spirit along other lines, and he will feel firm and strong to 



TREATMENT OF STAMMERING AND STUTTERING 87 

undertake what, in his previous hopeless condition, seemed 
futile. 

Let the stammerer avoid association with the appre- 
hensive. Remember, that there is a world of truth in the 
saying that, "The fearful are the failing." If he wishes 
to be rid of his affliction, he must abjure every influence 
that may conjure up his old weakness — lack of confidence 
that he can ever speak normally, freely and fluently. It 
does not follow that he who has stammeered need to 
affiliate with any cult or sect whose chief proclamation is 
concerning mind or spirit over matter— but it does behoove 
him to study carefully the laws that govern his own being. 

Tranquility, repose, serenity, come not from without but 
from within. 



THE VALUE AND RELATION OF PHYSICAL 
BREATHING AND VOCAL EXERCISES TO 
METHODS FOR THE CURE OF STAM- 
MERING AND STUTTERING* 



The value of physical exercise to methods for the cure 
of stammering, is of recent recognition. For a quarter of a 
century only, have reliable authors on this subject 
advocated physical culture as an important factor in treat- 
ment. There is an extensive history of stammering prev- 
ious to this period which shows that early investigators 
and teachers were quite at sea as regards the origin of 
the difficulty and the necessary means to correct speech. 
A recital of their theories, interesting as they may prove 
as curiosities, would be worthless for practical purposes. 
Their theories were poorly founded and the application 
of them visited disastrous results upon many who were 
in far worse condition after than before treatment. 

Very ancient are the first observations made concerning 
stammering. Hippocrates, Aristotle and Galen wrote of 
speech defects, while to Satyrus, the Grecian actor, is 
attributed the cure of Demosthenes, who stammered. 
However, the generally accepted assertion that Demosthe- 
nes' cure was effected by speaking with pebbles in his 
mouth, has no historical basis. But to that old Grecian 
actor, Satyrus, is due the honor of combating stuttering 
and stammering by lessons in diction. Chervin, the mod- 
ern French specialist, gives to Satyrus this credit. More- 



*A paper by George Andrew Lewis read by invitation, April 19th, 
1903, before the American Association for the Advancement of Physical 
Education. 



PHYSICAL, BREATHING AND VOCAL EXERCISES 89 

over, Chervin says that modern science in the treatment 
of speech defects has found success in proportion to the 
nearness of its approach to the simple and natural methods 
transmitted to us by the ancients. Chervin says he has 
tried all systems of treatment with success, but that he 
relies mainly upon the education of the will. In 1879, 
Coen, the celebrated specialist of Vienna, reported forty 
cures by elocutionary and physical exercises. Gunther, 
the principal of a deaf mute school in Germany, advocated 
both vocal and physical exercises. It is only fitting at 
this point to give special mention of Andrew Comstock 
— who, as early as 1837, had done pioneer work in the 
teaching of stammerers. In 1827 this venerable and earn- 
est instructor in elocution began work upon a method for 
the cure of stammering, being the first in this country to 
assert its possibility. He was philanthropic in disposition 
and eager to advance every cause that made for the better- 
ment of mankind. 

Later authorities, namely Klencke, Werner, Howard, 
Butterfield, Bristowe, Shuldham, Kussmaul, Hammond, 
Zug, Potter, Bryant, Johnston and Makuen have all recog- 
nized the value of breathing, vocal and physical exercises, 
as well as elecutionary drill for the purpose of eradicat- 
ing the difficulty. 

One writer has said that the entire treatment for a com- 
plete and permanent cure of stammering may be summed 
up in the following words : 

First. The regulation of breathing in general and in 
the acquirement of deep breathing in particular. 

Second. Exercises for the training, strengthening, and 
proper control of the vocal organs. 

Third. The maintaining of mind and body in the best 
possible condition. 

Fourth. The greatest possible development of the 
faculty of concentration and attention. 

Fifth. The strengthening of the will-power. 

To a certain extent the methods and theories of these 
authorities are similar as to their acknowledgment that 



90 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

physical exercises are essentially valuable in the treat- 
ment of stammering. The principal difference in the 
results accomplished, was due to the thoroughness with 
which such methods were systematized and employed. 
The importance of method must not be overlooked. One 
might be ever so well versed in the theory of treatment, 
and yet, without a clear and definite plan of procedure, be 
unable to discipline and control those whom he aims to 
benefit. 

At times, discipline which exacts much of the pupil, is 
necessary for his future good. When a pupil enters a 
school, entirely at sea as to correct speech, discouraged, 
nervous — even to illness, he must find chart and compass 
in the strong, rightly-directed will of his instructor. 
Only by doing implicitly what he is directed to do, will 
he have taken the first step in the right direction. At 
all times, in the treatment of stammering and stuttering, 
the teacher has very much to contend with. To his work 
there are obstacles not met with in any other line of 
teaching. In order to attain the best results, it is essen- 
tial that the student have an unswerving faith in his 
method of treatment. Without implicit faith in the 
efficacy of the means brought to his aid, there is an unsur- 
mountable barrier in the mind. Stammering comes from 
lack of confidence, and, therefore, a firmly established con- 
fidence in the efficacy of the instruction places the victory 
over speech defects so much nearer. 

Scepticism and unbelief in the discipline to which 
pupils are necessarily subjected, militates seriously against 
correct speech. That wavering uncertainty, which is 
bred of incredulity, is one of the greatest enemies of the 
stammerer. 

Stammering has been defined in many different ways. 
Time and again has it been shown in cases of stammer- 
ing that there is no organic defect whatever. It has been 
variously defined. Some say it is inability, under certain 
conditions, to control the muscular action of the organs 
of articulation. Others define it as an affection of the 



PHYSICAL, BREATHING AND VOCAL EXERCISES 91 

vocal organs, causing a hesitation. The following shows 
the different ways of describing the trouble; a difficulty 
of utterance; a choking sensation and an impeded action 
of the vocal apparatus; the inability to form sound; a 
lockjaw kind of gasping; a chronic spasm of the articu- 
latory organs; the frequent repetition of sounds and 
syllables; a temporary inability to vocalize; a halting, 
defective utterance. In this manner I could go on giving 
many different recorded definitions of stammering. But, 
after all are considered, one conclusion is deducted, stam- 
mering results from lack of confidence. 

Whatever the cause, whether it be the result of de- 
ficient mental energy, or whether there is inability to co- 
ordinate thought and physical utterance, or whether the 
difficulty is manifested in facial contortions — these points 
are not in the question. One thing we do know — persons 
who stammer lack confidence in their ability to speak. 
They are beset by constant rebuffs. At times, they think 
they cannot speak — but try and find it possible. Again, 
they start with assurance, only to be thwarted by lack of 
proper response from the organs of speech. In fact, they 
know not what the outcome of their attempt to speak will 
be. It is this uncertainty, this lack of surety that keeps 
them constantly in apprehension. This apprehension pro- 
duces extreme nervousness, in the wake of which follow 
multitudes of speech difficulties. Therefore, as far as 
speech is concerned, the stammerer becomes a skeptic. 
He doubts his own ability, and quite naturally, because 
of repeated previous failures, discredits the ability of 
others to free him from his burden. His incredulity and 
skepticism have grown up naturally. He is depressed 
ineffably by his stammering. The more severe his case, 
the less probable does it seem that he can be made speech- 
free. He has always agonized under this humiliation. 
To be free — is too good to be true. He looks upon restored 
speech as does a man who has come into an inheritance — 
until he is thoroughly convinced of its tangibility, he is 
inclined to doubt his riches as real. 



92 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

Within recent years, however, the feeling of doubt and 
skepticism among stammerers is disappearing, as a knowl- 
edge of the remarkable results accomplished by modern 
institutions for the treatment and cure of the malady 
have disseminated confidence. Three points of belief 
must be established in the mind of the pupil: First, 
that the instructions will lead to ultimate cure, that his 
instructor's chief aim is toward his (the pupil's) highest 
good, and last, but of paramount importance, that he 
recognize in himself the ability to succeed. 

He is now ready to face his work — to take the initiative 
step in his cure, submitting himself to discipline. 

DISCIPLINE NECESSARY TO THE TREATMENT OF STAMMERING 

Stammerers, as a class, are willing to submit to reason- 
able discipline. However, there are occasionally found 
persons who seem reluctant to observe the necessary in- 
structions. This is occasioned oftentimes by the fact that 
they have been more or less humored because of their 
infirmity. 

Klencke, who is recognized as the greatest European 
authority on stammering and stuttering, referring to the 
matter of inattention on the part of some stammerers, 
says: 

"I have never neglected to impress upon stammerers 
and their relatives with far more emphasis than their 
cases really demanded, the necessity of their own co- 
operation; and, although they would enthusiastically 
promise it, all stutterers begin treatment with the secret 
belief that they need only to follow the instructions in 
a passive and mechanical manner, that they can take 
things easy, and that they are not required to trouble 
themselves with mental activity and attention." 

However, Klencke's methods were severe, and, conse- 
quently, his standard of criticism was very high. 

The conditions were then as now. The stammerer lacks 
ability to control himself. His malady makes him ner- 
vous. He loses self-control, and thus the power to dis- 



PHYSICAL, BREATHING AND VOCAL EXERCISES 93 

cipline is sacrificed. Frequently we find a stammerer who 
lacks in strength of personality, that persistercy and pur- 
pose characteristic of those who achieve something in 
the world. His infirmity may be responsible for this, the 
impaired confidence manifesting itself in business and 
social relations. There are, however, exceptions to this 
general rule, but in the majority of cases, the lack of 
ability to control and to govern is a striking characteristic 
among stammerers. 

Self-control in such cases is of more importance than 
the ability to control others. 

Upon entering an institution, the stammerer finds every- 
thing in connection with the treatment entirely new to 
him. Formerly he enjoyed things pretty much his own 
way (except in his talking.) Now he must submit to the 
will of another. If he is prepared and willing to do this, 
an absolute and permanent cure for his affliction can be 
safely promised. 

THE SILENCE PERIOD 

An essential factor now recognized in treatment by 
modern institutions, is the silence period, the ordinary 
length of which is one week. The first thought con- 
cerning this phase of the work would be, "Is it not so 
irksome and tedious as to become distasteful, dishearten- 
ing the pupil even to homesickness and despondency?" 
No, not as a rule. The intelligent and thoroughly con- 
scientious stammerer, when presented with such a means 
to an end, is glad to do what will help to free him from 
his trouble. The nervous system, in severe cases, is well- 
nigh wrecked by years of struggle. Through no other 
means can so complete relaxation be brought to the ner- 
vous system as through silence. During this period, the 
patient, relieved of every responsibility, his mind at rest, 
settles down to complete composure. Silence, however, 
does not debar him from the regular work of the institu- 
tion. He is expected to conform to the requirement, con- 
tinuing his work regularly. The vocal work, breathing 



94 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS. 

and physical exercises of the school, engage his mind 
daily. Only from conversation is he restricted. When 
the object of the silence period is not understood by the 
patient, he is inclined to look askance at it. Those who 
do not believe in its efficiency, also regard it curiously. But 
he whose mind is receptive to the greatest good for him- 
self, finds therein a period of rest and recuperation for the 
nervous system as well as a disciplining agent which pro- 
motes self-control. 

The stammerer is not only enjoined not to speak con- 
versationally during the silence period, but he gives his 
word to that effect, promising that he will keep it abso- 
lutely and to the best of his ability. 

Deprived of the privilege of speech, there is an in- 
creasing desire for expression. This desire must be 
curbed. The natural thing is to respond when spoken to. 
Remembering his promise, the student refrains from 
speech. A thousand times he meets the temptation to 
break his bond — and a thousand times he stands firm and 
silent. He is keeping his promise by the exercise of his 
will-power, which, in turn, is thereby being strengthened. 
Each victory is a link of strength in the chain of self- 
control, advancing him farther and farther toward mas- 
tery in the situation. This is absolute control in that the 
speaking organs are under complete subjection. 

Few of us, unless we have disciplined ourselves by a 
period of silence, realize how great is the desire to speak. 
To the stammerer, this discipline is entirely new. The 
beneficial result of silence is shown by the fact that 
many subjected to the ordeal forget, when released from 
silence, that the term of their obligation is over. During 
silence, the patient is allowed to write upon paper what 
he wishes to say. Upon release from silence, the observ- 
able control which he has established is oftentimes re- 
markable. I have even known of a number of stam- 
merers to be cured during the period of silence, no further 
difficulty having been experienced. Silence is indeed a 
remarkable factor in the cure of stammering, and in 



PHYSICAL, BREATHING AND VOCAL EXERCISES 95 

every recognized method of treatment the silenve period 
should be incorporated. 

THE VALUE OF BREATHING AND VOCAL EXERCISES 

The value of breathing exercises in the treatment and 
cure of stammering and stuttering, cannot be overesti- 
mated. However, persons who stammer, were not caused 
to thus suffer because of abnormal respiration. The 
abnormal conditions are the result of stammering rather 
than a cause. Few stammerers in the beginning suffer 
from faulty respiration. In the beginning the breathing 
is natural, exactly as in normally speaking persons. Stam- 
mering, it is noteworthy, seldom manifests itself until 
after the child has acquired articulate speech. In some 
cases, gradually, and in others, with marked suddenness, 
the condition of stammering appears. The child, filled 
with fear, gasps for breath, strains every power to make 
its words intelligible, but without avail. Thus, from con- 
tinual struggle, the normal habits of breathing become 
permanently deranged. The more violent the stammering, 
the more seriously is respiration impaired. This radical 
derangement, in turn, increases the stammering, until in 
some severe cases, the result is a complete collapse. 

While acknowledging that stammering is usually due 
to heredity, I desire to express my opinion that the stam- 
merer is made, not born, in that the condition may be 
aggravated through neglect or relieved by care and atten- 
tion. 

The question may arise as to the difference between the 
respiration of stammerers and of persons of normal 
speech. The stammerer, suffering because of his inability 
to speak, endures constantly great mental strain. This 
tax upon his energies causes him to speak on what may 
be termed exhausted breath, resulting in an expulsion 
of air from the lungs, which struggle produces a collaps- 
ing or inward movement in the diaphragmatic region 
where the last of the air supply is apparently squeezed 
out from the chest. Words, as a result, are broken and 



96 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

unintelligible utterances. One who stammers severely 
will tell you that a prolonged struggle to speak is fol- 
lowed by a cramped and exhausted feeling at the waist 
line in front, below the point of the sternum. This con- 
dition results from abnormal breathing — therefore, the 
value and indispensibility of breathing exercises. 

Important as we find breathing exercises for the cor- 
rection of exhausted breath — still greater is their pur- 
pose in the scheme of control. 

Stammering is the inability of the mind, under certain 
conditions, to control the muscles of the body; in other 
words, it is the inability to coordinate the mental desire 
with the physical execution of that desire. Stammering 
is not physical, it is mental. The manifestations, of 
course, are physical, but the seat of the disease is hidden. 
Its manifestation may be observed in the inability to per- 
form any muscular action. Those who play the piano 
may stammer in their endeavors, even when the music 
is thoroughly understood. Stammering manifests itself 
in certain individuals in writing; in the walk of some; 
in the singing of others. Most frequently, however, is an 
an affliction manifested in the organs of speech. 

Inasmuch as stammering is the inability of mind to 
control muscular action, breathing exercises are bene- 
ficial in the treatment of the disease. They accomplish 
dscipline, thereby establishing the ability to control, — 
wherein the stammerer is deficient. 

BREATHING EXERCISES 

In the observance of any rules laid down for exercis- 
ing the will, the stammerer should continually keep in 
mind the fact that the purpose sought, is control rather 
than development. This applies especially to breathing 
exercises. The mind should be constantly centered upon 
one thing, that each physical movement is obedience on 
the part of the muscles to certain mental commands; that 
the mind is master, and that the muscles must obey. 
Standing in an erect position, with the palms across the 



PHYSICAL, BREATHING AND VOCAL EXERCISES 97 

upper chest, the student may exercise chest breathing. 
Let him inhale slowly through the nose, expanding the 
body under the hands. Having repeated this exercise a 
number of times, he may now practice costal breathing, 
expanding the body beneath the arm pits. In this exer- 
cise, the walls of the sides should be pushed outward and 
upward without elevating the shoulders. He may now 
inhale, forcing out the muscles of the back. In this 
exercise the hands may be placed on the back, thumbs 
forward, the back of the fingers covering the dorsal 
muscles. He should be careful not to bend the body in 
this exercise, otherwise it is difficult to note whether there 
is expansion and contraction under the hands. This may 
be termed dorsal breathing. Let him now practice ab- 
dominal breathing, forcing the abdomen out as much as 
possible during inhalation and allowing the muscles to 
contract as much as possible during exhalation. Diaphrag- 
matic breathing may be practiced, in which exercise we 
inhale with a view of forcing down the diaphragm, ex- 
panding the entire circle of the waist. He may practice 
full breathing, exercising the will simultaneously over 
all the muscles brought into action in the previous forms 
of breathing. Effusive breathing, next engages his atten- 
tion. This is a natural emission of the breath on the 
sound of the letter h. Expulsive breathing may be prac- 
ticed in which is demanded a gradual and forcible expul- 
sion of the breath on the sound of the letter h. He may 
practice explosive breathing, suddenly exploding the 
breath on the sound of the letter h. 

In practicing these exercises, each one should be re- 
peated a number of times before the pupil passes to the 
next. One thing he should remember, and this thought 
should be frequently emphasized: that the purpose sought 
for is control. Let him construe the exercises in various 
ways, practicing in calisthenic drills, inhaling through a 
number of counts and exhaling through the same number. 
He may also practice while walking, inhaling and ex- 
haling during a certain number of steps. Thus, while 



98 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

he is out of the Institution, as also during the time he 
is under the observation of his teachers, he can, through 
self-effort, aid in disciplining the muscles concerned in 
breathing until he is finally able to control them under all 
conditions. 

VOCAL EXERCISES 

Vocal exercises may now be practiced, the student 
keeping in mind constantly that control and not develop- 
ment is the object sought for. Stammerers are not lack- 
ing in vocal ability, the majority of them having voices 
as strong as persons of normal speech. What they do 
lack, however, in this respect, is the ability to control 
their voices ; as is evidenced by the fact that under certain 
conditions many of them are wholly unable to vocalize 
or to utter a word. I have known hundreds of stam- 
merers who possessed powerful, deep, resonant voices, yet 
who were at times totally unable to speak because under 
certain conditions they lacked the ability to produce voice. 
In other words, at times, they were entirely unable to 
control the muscles and organs concerned in voice pro- 
duction, and it is with a view of establishing this ability 
to control rather than of cultivating the voice, that vocal 
exercises in connection with methods for the cure of 
stammering and stuttering, should be practiced. Any 
good system of vocal exercises will suffice and will accom- 
plish the object sought for, if practiced regularly and 
faithfully, but the following are suggested as especially 
applicable for the cure of stammering and stuttering. 

Vocal exercises hold an important place in a beneficial 
course of treatment. The voice should be so exercised 
as to give freedom and right direction. "The primary 
sound of the larynx is short a, or approximately this 
sound." Each vowel sound requires a nice adjustment of 
the vocal organs. 

Care should be taken to assume a correct standing 
position before any vocal practice is attempted. The 
logical order of practice is that of physical exercises, 



PHYSICAL, BREATHING AND VOCAL EXERCISES 99 

then the specific breathing exercises, and last the voice 
work proper, that the system may be at its best when the 
vocal work is undertaken. Give the vocal organs proper 
position, that there may be a maximum of result with 
minimum of effort. Open the throat and protrude the 
lower jaw somewhat, that the sounds may have ready 
egress. Then utter the sounds of the vowels — a, e, i, o, u 
— in a natural tone of voice. Variations of this exercise 
may be formed by combining the various consonants with 
the vowels : la, le, li, lo, lu; ma, me, mi, mo, mu. Each 
new combination of sounds should be accompanied by 
renewed effort, to impart the quality of the sound. 

The utterance of the vowels, with full force, calling 
upon the diaphragm to enforce the sound, is another 
step in progress. This practice should be undertaken 
with moderation. Otherwise the vocal apparatus may be 
overtaxed by too great effort at first. 

The next step in vocal exercise may be that of com- 
mencing a vowel sound in the natural tone of voice, 
which is gradually swelled to full force, decreased to 
natural tone, then up again, thus alternating the natural 
tone with full force, five times upon each vowel sound. 

Sound each vowel, pouring forth the tone, letting it 
flow gently through the vocal passage. Follow this by 
the practice of vocal sounds emitted by a forcible stroke 
of the abdominal muscles, allowing the sound to subside 
gradually. In this exercise, the chest should be well 
expanded. Aim next at the production of clear sudden 
vowel sounds, which are so uttered by a vigorous abrupt 
action of the abdominal muscles upon the diaphragm. 

Variety of practice, which increases vocal power, may 
be had by beginning the sound of each vowel with slowly 
emitted breath, increasing to full volume, diminishing by 
degrees, thus producing a swell. Exhale all the air 
through the mouth. Inhale through the nose, fill the lungs 
to their fullest capacity, then sound each vowel with a 
firm, steady tone, terminating abruptly. Caution is re- 
quired in this practice that the muscular system may not 
be overtaxed. 

LOFC. 



100 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

By a tremulous movement of the chest muscles utter 
each vowel sound with tremor, prolonging the sounds. 

In conclusion, take a deep inhalation and concentrate 
extreme force upon the utterance of each vowel. The 
climax should so represent the height of vocal effort that 
the same result cannot be produced without renewal. 

The stammerer must be in the highest degree faithful 
to this practice and exert his mind upon each exercise 
to reap the fullest results — otherwise he becomes an autom- 
aton, making little advance from mediocre. The con- 
scientious student, focusing his mind upon every detail 
of this vocal practice, may reap untold benefit. 

Many other exercises could be mentioned, but this will 
give some idea of the variety. Throughout the study, 
every opportunity should be taken to establish right ideas 
of true tone values. 

There are, of course, numerous other things to be con- 
sidered in the treatment of stammering and stuttering, 
in addition to the exercises which I have endeavored to 
here illustrate, yet these are important, and, if carefully 
followed, will aid materially in establishing the equilibrium 
of control, which in stammerers apparently is lacking. A 
knowledge of the elementary sounds of the language and 
of the correct positions of the organs of articulation, 
together with practice in forming sounds, both singly and 
in combination, will also aid in giving the stammerer 
better control, and this I would advise every one thus 
afflicted to acquire. 

Methods for the cure of stammering, as applied in the 
Institution, are more comprehensive and complete than I 
have here outlined, my purpose here being to show 
the relation only of one feature of our work to the 
cure of the malady, viz. : physical, breathing and vocal 
exercises. Our work embodies many other features 
equally as important, although none receive closer atten- 
tion. Six hours daily are set aside for class instruction, 
in addition to which, every pupil receives daily such 
special private instruction as is necessary. 



CURES FOR STAMMERING IOI 

Progressive Institutions for the care of stammering 
welcome the advancement in physical culture; for every 
facility which brings the man-physical nearer to a condi- 
tion of nervous poise and equilibrium, is bringing nearer 
that fine indispensable correlation of mind and muscular 
action which is indispensable to him who would be speech 
free. 



CURES FOR STAMMERING 

It is not my intention in this article, as the title to it 
might imply, to enter into discussion of the many different 
methods for the cure of stammering that have been sug- 
gested or practiced during the past decade, as much that 
has been written or advised has been absolutely worthless. 
I will endeavor to give the reader, as far as possible, my 
ideas with suggestions for practice gained from an experi- 
ence of many years in the treatment of thousands of cases 
of stammering, and will confine my views wholly to mod- 
ern methods of cure. 

A cure for stammering, in my estimation, cannot be ac- 
complished without an exact knowledge of the conditions 
leading up to the cure and thus, in order that the reader 
may intelligently understand his position, I shall endeavor 
to set forth in as clear a manner as possible a few sugges- 
tions that I trust will prove of permanent benefit to any- 
body who may carry them into execution. Everything we 
do, everything we eat, even our thoughts have either a 
direct or an indirect bearing upon our fluency in talking, 
and for this reason a method for the cure of stammering 
must embody much. It must aim not only to overcome 
the habit of stammering, but must also change the suf- 
ferer, his likes and dislikes, as well as his manner of view- 
ing things. It must change his view of the world generally. 
The difficulty in the past with many who have engaged in 
the work of treating the stammerer has been that they 
have regarded a method for the alleviation of his suffering 
without much attention to the permanency of the cure, 



102 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

whereas, they should have sought a method of establish- 
ing permanency, even though the results at the begin- 
ning^ were less encouraging. 

CONFIDENCE IN THE INSTRUCTION 

The one necessary element to success at the commence- 
ment of treatment with any stammerer, is confidence in 
the instruction which he intends to follow. If he enters 
into the work with doubt in his mind concerning the 
outcome of his efforts, he will invariably fail, in fact, 
his success will be in ratio to his belief and for this reason 
it is wise to believe. It costs no more to believe than it 
does to disbelieve, and the results are always much more 
satisfactory with confidence and belief as backing. Stam- 
mering is in a sense a lack of confidence or is disbelief. 
One is not sure they cannot say the word until they try, 
but somehow or other they do not believe they can. Is not 
that disbelief ? Others are sure they cannot, but find, when 
they try, with the addition of a little energy and effort, 
they can. Others feel that they can, but when they try 
they lose confidence in themselves and find they cannot. 

Thus it is often this feeling of confidence, and the mental 
effort at the moment of trial, that has to do with the cer- 
tainty of utterance. Confidence is everything, and should 
be especially cultivated by stammerers who lack it so much. 
I have known of several cases of stammering that have 
been permanently cured through summoning and holding 
to their aid confidence. Some four years ago a gentleman 
entered my school for treatment, who stammered so badly 
and whose contortions of features were so severe, that it 
was positively painful to listen to his efforts at utterance. I 
remember well that he came to me at the end of his fourth 
or fifth day and requested me to remove him from silence, 
which I hesitated in doing from the fact that his case was 
so painfully severe. After a time, however, upon his 
promise that he would never stammer again if I complied 
with his request, and with his promise to return again to 



CURES FOR STAMMERING IO3 

silence if he should hesitate or stammer, as a matter of 
experiment I tried him, and to my great astonishment he 
talked perfectly, and since that time, four years ago, 
notwithstanding the fact that he remained in the institu- 
tion but ten days, he has never stammered once. This cure 
was a most remarkable one from the circumstance that the 
man had stammered many years, and goes to verify my 
claim that confidence has much to do with the cure. I 
subsequently asked him to explain to me his own idea with 
reference to his remarkable cure, which he explained by 
saying that he attributed it to the methods employed to 
effect it, which I myself doubt, as I fully believe that the 
cure was effected and has remained permanent largely 
through his belief that it would thus be; in other words, 
the cure was established through the confidence and belief 
in the efficacy of the methods rather than by the methods 
employed to effect it. 

I know of another instance where assertion and will 
alone accomplished a cure which, once established, has re- 
mained permanent. A young man of less than twenty 
years of age made a vow and sacred pledge on his word 
of honor that he had stammered the last time he ever 
would, and to my knowledge he has never stammered since. 

Numerous other instances might be cited to prove the 
value of confidence in the treatment of stammering. 
Whatever you believe, — believe with your whole heart, 
that the result of your effort will be successful, because 
without this confidence, which is necessary, you cannot 
succeed. 

CONFIDENCE IN THE INSTRUCTOR 

Confidence in the instructor is as necessary as con- 
fidence in the instruction, as without it all effort will 
be unrewarded. During the last five years I have had 
but little to contend with in this respect, but very early 
in the history of my work, when I was just establish- 
ing my reputation, I often met with persons who, I 
imagined, were rather doubtful of my sincerity. That 



104 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

this militated against their progress, there is no question, 
as in order to obtain the best results from treatment it is 
necessary that the pupil place implicit confidence in his in- 
structor as well as in the efficacy of the instructions he 
receives. Since my reputation has become so wide and 
extended, and since the attendance of my institution has 
grown so large I have had little or none of this former 
difficulty to contend with, and firmly believe that the result 
to my pupils has been much better in consequence. 

A SOUND BODY NECESSARY 

There is no question but that the physical condition of 
the stammerer has much to do with the severity and 
aggravation of his impediment, as is manifested in cases 
of the intermittent class. Persons in weak physical con- 
dition or in ill-health usually have much more severe con- 
tortions, greater manifestations and more difficulty than 
persons in robust health. But you say, "I have seen 
persons in good health who stammered terribly." 
My reply is that these same persons, if in ill-health, 
if constitutionally weak, would stammer even worse 
than they now do, and most violently. All authorities 
of modern times are agreed upon this, that the con- 
dition of the sufferer physically has much to do with his 
fluency of utterance. Thus in such cases, especially in the 
intermittent forms, it is necessary that stammerers keep 
themselves in as good physical condition as possible. A 
good system of physical exercises in any good gymnasium, 
or without gymnasium with plenty of out-door exercise, 
such as walking, running, rowing, hunting, etc., with 
special care to cleanliness in bathing, will be found excel- 
lent and will, by improving the physical condition of the 
stammerer add also to his ability to speak more easily. 

CLOSE MENTAL APPLICATION HARMFUL 

I know of nothing more aggravating to stammering, and 
there is in my mind nothing more harmful to persons thus 
afflicted, than close mental application. This is especially 



CURES FOR STAMMERING 105 

true of students who stammer and who find, after hard 
study and close mental application, that their difficulty has 
become much aggravated. Many parents have related to 
me the fact that their children stammer more during school 
term than during holidays, which is but an evidence of the 
truth of my assertion. I can well remember that as a boy 
in school my own difficulty was more severe than at any 
other time, which was probably due to the fact that study 
for me was hard, as I required to apply myself more 
closely than other students in order to gain the same 
knowledge, which always served to aggravate my de- 
fect. It was because of this fact that I decided to leave 
college, being at that time unable to recite orally or to 
keep up with my classes. I can remember my father 
calling my attention to this, that I stammered more when I 
studied hard than at any other time. 

This is true in all cases of stammering, as has been 
evidenced to me in the many pupils who have applied 
to me for relief. I know of a number of cases of stam- 
mering that have been developed wholly as the result of 
close mental application or over-study. It seems to me 
that one does not gain much more from this proceedure, 
when what is gained is won at the loss of so much that 
goes to make up our happiness. 

Many cases of stammering that could have been very 
easily remedied at an earlier stage in the progress of the 
difficulty, have been allowed to develop and in this manner 
by over-application, mentally have ben made chronic. 



CHEERFULNESS A FACTOR 

That cheerfulness enters into the problem of the cure, 
no experienced person who has had to deal with stammer- 
ing, will question. You must keep cheerful if you will be 
cured. That this is true is shown by the fact that persons 
of sunny dispositions, affable manner and light heart 
are more suceptible to successful treatment than persons of 
sullen or morose nature. 



106 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

I remember a young man from the State of Washington 
who, several years ago, came to my institution for treat- 
ment, and who was one of the most disagreeable and sullen 
fellows I had ever met. It was several weeks before we 
could gain the man's confidence or notice any marked im- 
provement in him, and although we finally succeeded in 
effecting a cure, we could have accomplished the same 
result in one-quarter the time, provided his disposition 
had been alterably changed. 

A light, buoyant heart, sunny countenance and cheer- 
fulness of disposition should be cultivated if the best results 
from treatment are to be expected. 

Many stammerers have reasons for not possessing these 
admirable qualities, but now that the gift of unimpaired 
utterance can be so easily attained, who can be otherwise 
than cheerful? 



DETERMINATION 

Probably no other factor enters into a cure for stam- 
merers with equal importance to that of determination. 
Determination in the cure is of more importance than 
any fixed set of exercises or rules, because without it none 
can succeed. Stammerers usually are not men of deter- 
mination; I say usually, because there are always excep- 
tions, and I have known of several who were determina- 
tion itself. Generally speaking, however, such is not true, 
as in the majority of cases that have come under my 
observation, will-power and determination were lacking. 
Will-power can be cultivated and the faculty of 
determination can be strengthened. Not only in the mat- 
ter of talking is it necessary to add to one's quality in 
this respect, but in all things. In fact, the man who 
stammers needs more than anything else reorganization. 
He must in the first place substitute for his natural feel- 
ing of inequality a feeling and manner of equality, realiz- 
ing always that he is his brother's equal and in many 



CURES FOR STAMMERING 107 

respects his superior. To do this, it is well for him to 
court a feeling of superiority, knowing of course in cul- 
tivating it the purpose of its cultivation. The old maxim, 
"Aim high if you wish to shoot high," should never be 
lost sight of in this connection, as if he wishes to gain 
the natural feeling of equality with his fellowmen it will 
be necessary for him to aim higher. 

Stammerers are usually not men of self-assertion — 
they are rarely conceited, never over-bearing and in the 
majority of instances that have come under my ob- 
servation (and I have talked with thousands of them) 
they are willing to submit to the rule of others usually 
without question. This is not as it should be. It 
characterizes the stammerer's nature, however, and 
none can make things otherwise without changing the 
man generally. Why does he regard himself as an un- 
equal? He realizes in his heart that others have had 
bestowed upon them by nature, gifts that he has been 
deprived of, and from this fact realizing that they can 
accomplish and do things that it is not his privilege 
to perform, he recognizes from his infancy his natural 
inequality. His unhappy thoughts over his difficulty, his 
hours of seclusion to hide an exhibition of his infirmity, 
his loneliness in consequence and his feeling of littleness 
because of his difficulty, naturally change his disposition 
and alter his attitude and feelings toward others, until 
at last as the result we find the man a conundrum, 
pitied by some, ridiculed by many, but feeling in his 
heart a sense of inequality and in consequence willing 
to submit himself to the thoughts and actions of others. 

This is why reorganization is necessary. Stammerers 
who wish to be cured of their infirmity should unburden 
themselves of this feeling, and as mentioned at the begin- 
ning, should substitute for it a righteous feeling of equality 
which in nine cases out of ten is theirs by right of their 
actual equality with their fellowmen. 

One must expect discouragement at the beginning. 
This feeling is not apparent in the institution, where every- 



108 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

thing has a tendency to the opposite, but with unaided 
effort, under which conditions a cure in some cases would 
be most difficult, one must expect it. There should be no 
lack of effort because of this, however, because life at the 
best is a succession of battles, of successes and failures, 
with many things to discourage as well as to encourage. 
I feel safe in saying that the majority of our business 
men connected with large enterprises have had as many 
obstacles to surmount and at times as many causes for 
discouragement as the majority of stammerers would ex- 
perience through unaided efforts toward a cure. Failure 
should serve to awaken in us a greater determination to 
succeed, and if so regarded will surely lead to success in 
the end. After the first discouragements have been 
passed, the path to success becomes easier and the stam- 
merer will find through persistent determination that his 
efforts to succeed will finally win. 

The reward in the end is thus greater than was antici- 
pated, because where the student starts out to accomplish 
but one object, viz., a cure for his stammering, he finds 
that not only this end has been attained but also that he 
has been improved and bettered in every conceivable way. 
Because he can now talk and converse fluently, he can 
enter into enterprises which before were to him unsafe 
propositions. His manner has been changed, his dis- 
position has become more buoyant; he is, in fact, a dif- 
ferent man; regards the world from a different position 
and in a manner even as the world regards him. Do not 
be discouraged at the beginning but work with a will and 
determination to win and you will be rewarded for your 
effort accordingly. 



AN ANALYSIS OF THE MENTAL CONDITION OF 
STAMMERING 

The subject of stammering is one upon which vol- 
umes could be written, and yet much that is important 
would still have been left unsaid. 

In view of this fact it will be the aim of this article 
to select one special and important feature, and treat of 
this particular feature in detail. 

That the mind plays the most important part in the 
majority of cases of stammering, if not, indeed, in all 
cases, is admitted by all who have devoted themselves to 
the correction of speech defects, and this fact is also gen- 
erally realized by stammerers, themselves. 

Stammering is essentially a mental trouble, though 
the manifestations of it are, of course, largely physical. 

The mental side of stammering will, therefore, be the 
subject of this discussion; and, in so far as it is possible 
to do so, this phase of the trouble will be discussed to the 
exclusion of all others. Not that due importance is not 
attached by the writer to all of the other varied and 
subtle influences which conspire to produce stammering, 
but rather because the writer feels that these other 
matters have already received more attention, and have 
been more thoroughly discussed than has the mental 
side of this complex subject. 

Taking it for granted that the reader understands all 
that has been written of the reasons why people happen 
to stammer or stutter; of the formation and purposes 
of the different organs used in the production of speech; 
of the importance of rhythmic breathing, practices in 
vocalizing, physical exercise, rest, diet, etc., and of many 



110 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

other things which are absolutely requisite for the success 
of any one who would undertake to overcome this impedi- 
ment, we will now devote our remarks solely to the 
discussions of what we believe to be the vital principle 
underlying any successful method for the cure of stam- 
mering — the principle which, if correctly understood and 
applied, will prove the very keystone with which to cap 
the arch you are undertaking to build up towards a cure. 

All stammerers know from experience that different 
mental states are productive of correspondingly different 
degrees of intensity in their impediment — certain condi- 
tions of mind affording comparative freedom of utterance, 
while other conditions are productive of difficulties ap- 
proaching absolute dumbness. 

Were you never impressed by the importance of these 
problems? Did it never occur to you that such effects as 
these must be the natural result of the definite causes, and 
that you might, by analyzing these effects, discover a 
principle, which, if intelligently applied, could be made to 
prolong these periods of immunity from stammering, and 
eventually lengthen them into a permanent condition, 
thereby working out your own cure? 

It is likely that this thought has presented itself to the 
majority of stammerers; but, with that peculiar indolence 
which seems to characterize the temperament of persons 
who stammer, you have, doubtless, lacked the energy to 
trace back the process step by step from effects to the 
logical causes underlying them, and to determine then 
and there that conditions, which afforded even temporary 
relief from the enemy, were conditions well worth cul- 
tivating, and then to set about this task of cultivation 
with energy and resolution. 

The writer was no exception to this rule. For years 
he had been stammering with varying degrees of intensity 
— sometimes very badly, and at others almost wholly free 
from a trace of impediment; yet, he had never awakened 
fully to the realization that what had heretofore proved 
a temporary relief, dependent upon circumstances, might, 



THE MENTAL CONDITION OF STAMMERING HI 

by systematic effort, constant watchfulness and exercise 
of will power, be made a permanent state of affairs 
within the control of himself alone, and not subject to the 
caprice of extraneous conditions. 

When he did awake, however, to the realization of 
this truth, and began to make the application of it the 
chief object of his life, then, from that day forth, his 
improvement was rapid. 

It must not be understood from this statement, how- 
ever, that there were no discouraging setbacks exper- 
ienced, for there were, in fact, many; but each one served 
only to make him more determined to press forward into 
the domain of untrammeled speech, for he felt certain of 
being at last upon the right track. 

Careful analysis of mental and physical conditions 
during these occasional periods of comparative freedom 
from his impediment, showed, first of all, that his mind 
at such times was tranquil and free from worry; there 
was no contraction of the solar plexus, but, on the con- 
trary, a free and relaxed feeling existed in that important 
nerve center; his spirits were cheerful, and his breathing 
and heart beats were rhythmic. In a word, there was 
complete mental and physical relaxation. 

These, then, are the conditions which must be culti- 
vated and made permanent, if possible. But how? 

Going back inductively, step by step, and analyzing 
his mental processes in order to discover the causes 
responsible for the conditions referred to, it soon became 
apparent that FEAR was the great underlying evil re- 
sponsible, either directly or indirectly, for the disturb- 
ances in the mental and physical functions resulting in 
stammering. The manifestations of this fear are often- 
times so subtle, and are displayed through such devious 
channels, that its actual responsibility for the trouble 
might at first be questioned. But careful investigation 
will show in the end that fear is the real cause, disguised, 
however it may be, in the form of worry, doubt, appre- 
hensiveness, timidity or lack of self-respect; and, unless 



112 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

this fear can be uprooted and banished frutn the mind of 
the stammerer, he will never be free from his impediment. 

Restoration of confidence is, then, the first thing to be 
accomplished. 

This truth is known to nearly all stammerers. In fact, 
they feel it instinctively, and will often tell you that, 
could they but wake up some morning free from the 
feeling that they had ever stammered, and free from the 
ever-present fear that they were bound to stammer, the 
result would be that they would never stammer again. 
They are simply held in thrall by this overmastering 
fear. 

How, then, shall this arch enemy be dislodged from 
the position of ascendency which it has gained and held 
for so long a time in the conciousness of the stammerer? 

Can it be driven out and routed by a sheer act of will 
on the part of the sufferer? 

No, it cannot. Powerful though the will may be, it is 
yet unequal to such a feat as that. It must call to its 
assistance other agencies working under its direction and 
control. 

The human mind is composed of two functions, or 
planes, of effort. One, the active function, is called the 
objective mind, and its office is to attend to the original 
and volitional thinking. The other function is purely 
passive in its operation, and is called the subjective or 
sub-conscious mind; and, though in a way inferior to 
the objective mind, it really dominates our daily lives, 
unless we know how to control it. 

It is the function responsible for all our habits, and is, 
therefore, the one which we must consider most carefully 
in the cure of stammering. 

The subjective mind is not hard to influence, yet, 
when it has finally accepted a thing, and has become 
accustomed to doing this thing, there is but one way to 
change its course, and that is by telling it over and over 
again just what you wish it to believe, and it will, in 
time, not only accept the new suggestion, but will end by 
being as fully set in the new way as it was in the old. 



THE MENTAL CONDITION OF STAMMERING II3 

The suggestions upon which the subjective mind acts, 
may come from your own objective mind, or they may be 
given by an outside person. But in either case the sug- 
gestions must be given with positiveness and a conviction 
of truth, in order to properly impress the subjective mind, 
and to be finally accepted by it as truth. 

This is the secret of destroying bad habits of thought, 
and building up character. 

The fear of stammering has become a fixed habit of 
thought in the subjective mind of the confirmed stam- 
merer, and, of course, the longer the trouble has existed 
the harder it will be to remove, and its removal must 
necessarily prove a matter of gradual accomplishment. 
Little by little you will have to efface, by a reverse proc- 
ess of thought, the deep impressions which have been 
made upon the subjective mind through years of stam- 
mering. 

To accomplish this result by sheer force of will, is an 
utter impossibility. 

It is not an uncommon thing for persons who have 
never stammered, to tell one thus afflicted that, if he 
would exercise sufficient will-power, and determine not 
to stammer, he could free himself from the impediment. 
Such persons know absolutely nothing of the psycho- 
logical conditions produced by stammering, and in turn 
producing stammering; they have no conception of the 
deep and far-reaching effects which this habit has wrought 
in the stammerer's entire organization. 

Most stammerers are not only persons of average 
strength of will, but often by very reason of their con- 
stant struggle with this impediment, they develop unusual 
will-power. And their minds are not only as active as are 
those of the average person, but are frequently found to 
be more alert and sensitive in the reception of impressions. 
The trouble is that a chronic stammerer is virtually 
hypnotized into stammering through the ever-present 
fear that he is going to stammer; and this fear, having 
become firmly enthroned in the subjective mind through - 

8 



114 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

out years of stammering, makes it as impossible at times 
for him to talk without stammering, as it would prove 
impossible for him to bend his arm after having been 
really hypnotized by a professional hypnotist, and told 
that his arm was rigid and that he could not bend it. 

Day after day, and many times each day, through the 
years of his affliction, when called upon to speak to his 
fellow-men, he has experienced that fearful sinking feel- 
ing born of the conviction that he was going to stammer; 
that he could not help stammering. Each conviction of 
this kind was a suggestion to the subjective mind, and 
each one, being accepted by the subjective mind as truth, 
did its full share towards strengthening the hold which 
this terrible habit gains upon its victims. 

In other words, the stammerer constantly suggests to 
himself fear, and, by this auto-suggestion, he gradually 
produces results just as real and unmistakable in their 
manifestations upon himself as does the regular hypnotic 
suggestionist produce upon his hypnotized subject. The 
only difference is that, in the case of the stammerer, these 
results usually require years in attaining complete fulfil- 
ment because of the fact that his objective mind, backed 
by the will, is alert, and does a great deal to neutralize 
the influence; while in the latter case there is no such 
active agent to thwart the suggestionist, and the result is 
that the subjective mind of his unconscious subject yields 
quickly to his influence. The principle, however, is iden- 
tically the same in both cases. 

Many persons, realizing this truth, have concluded 
that stammering could be cured by post-hypnotic sugges- 
tion; and, indeed, many professional hypnotists of more 
or less honesty have undertaken to remove the impediment 
by such treatment. The results, however, have been uni- 
formly unsatisfactory. Post-hypnotic suggestion will not 
permanently cure a case of stammering. 

In making this assertion, the writer feels that he can 
speak with some authority, having not only investigated 
many such cases, but having gone through a most inter- 



THE MENTAL CONDITION OF STAMMERING 115 

esting and exhaustive test, extending through several 
weeks, at the hands of the foremost exponent of hypnotic 
suggestion in the United States — a man of the finest 
character, a psychologist of note and professor emeritus 
of one of the leading universities in the east. 

Many other functional disorders, both mental and 
physical, yield readily to such treatment, but the cure of 
stammering lies beyond its reach. 

Having established these facts, we are now ready to 
consider the best means for removing the fabric of fear 
and lost confidence, which has its foundations so deeply 
sunk in the subjective mind of the stammerer. 

There is no sudden or miraculous means available by 
which it may be dismantled, as we have previously inti- 
mated; no sheer act of the will, as we have said before, 
is capable of removing it by force, though, in the method 
which is now to be explained, the will is a most power- 
ful and necessary ally. 

This structure of error, which, by wrong thinking, 
the stammerer has erected bit by bit, and has made an 
actual part of himself, must be removed just as it was 
erected — little by little, one stone at a time — until, as 
we gradually establish in the subjective mind that feel- 
ing of confidence which is ours by right, the structure of 
fear will gradually crumble on its foundations, and the 
work of removal will then progress with a rapidity truly 
amazing. 

To begin this work of demolition, we select the time 
when the subjective mind is in its most receptive state, 
which is at night. During sleep, the body and all its 
functions are in charge of the subjective mind, while the 
objective or active mind, which includes the will, is off 
duty. Therefore, impressions which are taken with us 
into sleep, produce unusually deep effects upon the sub- 
conscious part of our being. 

The truth of this is, of course, known to all. Who 
has not tried the plan of falling asleep at night with 
the thought uppermost in the mind that he must wake 



2l6 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

at a certain hour in the morning — the result being that he 
did awaken at just that hour? And after this practice 
had been indulged in for a short time, did it not soon 
become a fixed habit — no trouble being experienced in 
awakening regularly at the proper hour through failure 
of the subjective mind to attend to the suggestion which 
had been given it? 

Upon this same principle, then, you can confidently 
undertake the work of changing fear-thoughts to ones of 
confidence — replacing that sinking thought of, "I can't" 
with the boyant feeling of, "I can and I will" — which 
results, when once accomplished, will mark the greatest 
advancement you have ever made in your struggle for 
freedom of speech. 

That may sound rather startling, but it is the simple 
truth, as you will find out for yourself if you will only 
try this plan, conscientiously and with full confidence in 
its final success. That is the secret of all success — confi- 
dence. 

When you lie down for the night, obtain a position of 
perfect ease and comfort. Breathe deeply and rhythmi- 
cally, while you relax the tension from every nerve, and 
dismiss all worries and distracting impressions from the 
mind. Continue the deep breathing until a feeling of 
complete calm steals over you, and then fix your thoughts 
quietly and with concentration upon the words, "I am 
confident." Think deeply of the meaning of those words; 
think of the characteristics of persons who are confident, 
and of the air of poise, self-possession and deliberateness 
which such persons manifest. 

Then form a picture of yourself as possessed of these 
same qualities. See yourself in imagination — calm, self- 
possessed and deliberate in your daily relations with men. 
Picture yourself addressing your employer, or a shop- 
keeper, or a stranger on the street — meeting them tran- 
quilly, looking them steadily in the eye, while you speak 
to them confidently and without any thought of stam- 
mering. "\ 



THE MENTAL CONDITION OF STAMMERING 117 

In fact, the thought of stammering must not be allowed 
to intrude itself at all upon this mental picture, which 
you are projecting with all the realism of which your 
imagination is capable. If it does intrude, banish it at 
once, and concentrate your attention more strongly upon 
the thought that you are uniformly successful throughout 
the pleasant day-dream in which you are indulging. 

Nothing should prove easier for the stammerer than 
the perfect and realistic creation of such mental pictures 
as this; for nothing appeals more strongly to his imagi- 
nation and desire than the thought of himself exercising 
the function of free and natural speech. 

When indulging in this exercise, remember always to 
keep strongly before you the impression that your words 
come freely, with a full, steady tone, the control being 
from the diaphragm. After a little practice you can lose 
yourself so completely in the realism of these impres- 
sions that you will feel that it is impossible for the other 
person to disconcert you, hurry your utterance or make 
you stammer, even if he should try. This feeling of 
supreme confidence is what you must aim always to 
produce. 

Indulgence in these exercises, instead of keeping one 
from sleep, tends naturally to promote slumber — the 
breathing being deep and regular, the nerves at rest and 
the imagination pleasantly occupied. And when the feel- 
ing of slumber does overtake you, do not resist it, but, on 
the contrary, welcome it; for these pleasant and inspiring 
impressions, in which you have been indulging, will then 
be carried with you into the realm ruled over by the sub- 
jective mind, and will continue to work their results — 
their very best results, in fact — while you are sleeping. 

And these results are manifold. While such impres- 
sions remain in the subjective mind, cheerful and restful 
dreams will be the rule, instead of the usual harrowing 
and exhausting visions which visit the stammerer's slum- 
bers, and in which he again lives through the trials of 
the day — his respiration irregular, his nerves excited and 



Il8 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

his muscles tense, and from which he awakens in the 
morning, depressed mentally and exhausted physically, 
only to take up one more day of humiliating experiences. 

The practice of the above-described mental exercises 
will, if persisted in night after night, soon become, 
through the law of association of ideas, a natural habit 
of the mind; the mental pictures will arise of their own 
accord as soon as you lie down for the night, and the 
deep breathing and general relaxation will also, in time, 
become natural. 

The general effect upon the nerves will soon begin to 
make itself manifest, and the physical well-being will 
improve correspondingly. 

After but a week or two of this practice, you will 
begin to wake up in the morning with such a sense of 
buoyancy and light-heartedness, that you will wonder 
what it is all about. And these feelings will not disap- 
pear upon arising, but will go with you into the day, 
gathering additional strength each succeeding morning 
to accompany you a little further amid the day's trials, 
fortifying you more strongly against that feeling of 
panic which seizes the stammerer when called upon to 
talk. This sense of buoyancy and poise which you have 
been storing up during the unconsciousness of sleep, will 
also enable you to rally more quickly and hopefully when- 
ever you do happen to have a trying ordeal of stammer- 
ing during the day. 

Indulge in these exercises not only upon retiring at 
night, but also during any wakeful hours you may have 
during the night; though, after you have once established 
the habit of practicing the exercises at the time of retiring, 
you are not likely to be troubled very often with wake- 
ful hours. Yet, if you should find yourself awake in the 
course of the night, these hours can be materially short- 
ened, and at the same time turned to good account, by 
indulging in the exercises instead of allowing the mind to 
rove at will, busying itself, as it usually does at such 
times, with trifling and fruitless worries. Relax com- 



THE MENTAL CONDITION OF STAMMERING HO, 

pletely, then concentrate your thoughts quietly upon the 
pleasant and soothing mental picture described above, 
and you will soon drop off again into sleep which will 
prove not only sound, but refreshing. 

During the day you should indulge in these exercises 
whenever you can find a good opportunity. Secure, if 
you can, a quiet place, removed as far as possible from 
distracting sights and sounds, where you will be alone 
with yourself; and, having banished by an effort of the 
will, all worries and disturbing thoughts from the mind, 
draw vividly the picture of yourself in the role of a calm 
and fluent speaker. You will soon learn to assume this 
role just as an actor does, and in time it will get to be 
second nature to you, thereby becoming in the end a 
natural part of yourself. 

The effectiveness of these exercises will depend 
largely upon the degree of concentration of which you 
are capable; therefore, cultivate the power of concentra- 
tion. It will not only add to the success of these mental 
exercises, but it is absolutely essential to complete suc- 
cess in any line of human endeavor. 

The man who possesses the ability to concentrate all 
of his attention upon whatever he is doing, shuts out all 
distracting impressions, and thereby reaps the full benefit 
of all thought-force expended. The effect may well 
be likened to that of a sun glass, which gathers the rays 
of the sun to a focus, thereby increasing many fold their 
heat and brilliancy. So it is with thought: diffuse it, and 
you get but feeble results; focus it upon the one thing 
in hand, and you not only achieve results of high order, 
but you get them far more quickly. 

In the possession of this important faculty of concen- 
tration, stammerers are usually deficient — sometimes, 
wholly lacking. In fact, diffusion of energies, both mental 
and physical, on the part of the stammerer, is responsible 
to a great extent for his inability to talk properly. This 
power to concentrate should be cultivated, then, more 
assiduously by the stammerer than by other persons not 
thus afflicted. 



120 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

The man who has really mastered the art of concen- 
tration, has in his possession a sure panacea for that form 
of depression known as "the blues :" he has but to concen- 
trate persistently upon a bright and cheerful subject, 
entirely shutting out the other distracting impressions, 
and the blues will be powerless to affect him. 

Besides practicing these mental exercises at the times 
already suggested, you should also resort to them imme- 
diately after a trying ordeal of stammering, when you 
are, naturally, depressed by your lack of success. At such 
times a stammerer usually lapses in^o a state of abstrac- 
tion as he reviews in his mind the details of his recent 
humiliation, and then gives himself up to the most de- 
pressing thoughts. 

Nothing could be more foolish than this. You are 
simply deepening the ruts already worn into your sub- 
jective mind. 

Turn instantly to the other picture. Rally to it with 
all the power of your will, and refuse to consider the 
failure you have just made. Remember, that all failure is 
victory in the end if you but turn it to proper account. 
Call up the recollection of any successful, or even com- 
paratively successful, experiences in talking, which you 
may have had during the day. Dwell strongly upon these 
experiences, drawing from them encouragement and deter- 
mination to succeed. Remember what Emerson says in 
this connection, and apply his philosophy to yourself, for 
to no one is it more applicable. "Nerve us," he says, 
"with incessant affirmatives. Don't bark against the bad, 
but chant the beauties of the good." 

Consider your mind as an art gallery, filled with pic- 
tures of all kinds — some gloomy and depressing; others 
bright and uplifting. Now, when you go into a real 
gallery, do you deliberately choose a seat in front of the 
darkest and most forbidding picture, and then give your- 
self up to the contemplation of it? No; you pass such 
pictures with a cursory glance, and seat yourself before 
one which appeals to you strongly on account of its 
beauty and worth. 



THE MENTAL CONDITION OF STAMMERING 121 

Follow the same plan, then, with your mental impres- 
sions, ignoring the bad, and cherishing the good, and you 
will soon find that your spells of depression, after stam- 
mering, will grow gradually less, until in time they will 
rarely affect you at all. 

Right here it may be well to add that nothing is more 
potent in helping to drive away depression, and raise 
one's spirits, than the effect of deep breathing. Always 
remember to breathe deeply, slowly and rhythmically 
while engaged in these exercises. The increased supply 
of oxygen thus taken into the body has an almost instan- 
taneous effects upon the brain. Ten deep breaths, taken 
slowly, the air being held for a few seconds, and then 
slowly exhaled, while the mind engages itself in proper 
thinking, will dispel a fit of depression almost magically. 
If you have never tried it, do so now, and be convinced. 

You will have to watch yourself closely in order that 
you may not, through long established habit, drop into 
those spells of morbid introspection so characteristic of 
stammerers, and so injurious in their effects. Break 
them up at once by a vigorous exercise of the will. 

Make it a practice also to examine yourself frequently 
to see that you are not in that state of mental and phy- 
sical tension peculiar to stammerers. Endeavor constantly 
to replace this condition with one of complete relaxation. 
See that your solar plexus does not feel contracted and 
cramped, but free and comfortable. This important nerve 
center, sometimes called the "abdominal brain," is directly 
affected by the breathing; so, when it causes you that 
nervous, cramped feeling in the region of the diaphragm, 
you may be sure you have forgotten to breathe properly. 
Relax, then, at once, and breathe as you should. 

In a word, whenever you can remember to do so, say 
to yourself: "Am I now properly poised mentally and 
physically?" 

You will find frequently that you have lapsed uncon- 
sciously into that state of hurry and lack of deliberate- 
ness, so fatal to stammerers; and it is these conditions 



122 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

which must be constantly guarded against and broken up 
as soon as you become aware of their existence. Delib- 
erateness, not only of manner, but, what is far more im- 
portant, deliberateness of thought and feeling, can be 
thus acquired if you are only sufficiently watchful. Vigi- 
lance will, in the end, produce poise; and nothing is more 
needful to the stammerer in his struggle than is the 
possession of this quality. 

In addition to all these things, the stammerer should 
learn above all to carry with him constantly the proper 
mental attitude regarding himself. In spite of whatever 
discouragements you may have to face on account of your 
impediment, remember always that this impediment does 
not make you inferior to other men. It impairs your use- 
fulness, of course, and prevents a display of your real 
ability, but it must not be allowed to affect the higher 
being, the real man that you are. Look upon it as but a 
temporary disadvantage under which you labor, and 
which, by right thinking and determined effort, you are 
going to overcome. 

Cultivate this feeling strongly, and carry it with con- 
fidence. Carry it in your heart, for there is no greater 
truth than, "as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." 

If you form the habit of thinking of yourself along 
the lines of lack of confidence, discouragement, and "I 
can't," as stammerers are very likely to do, you will find 
that others are pretty sure to accept you at your own 
estimate, and regard you in time as really an inferior 
person. While, on the other hand, if you will just keep 
yourself constantly braced up by saying to yourself — and 
meaning it, too — "I can and I will," you will attract to 
yourself similar thought waves of confidence and deter- 
mination, which will do wonders in the way of inspiring 
and strengthening you. 

The man who thinks energy and confidence, manifests 
energy and confidence, and impresses his fellowmen 
correspondingly. Action follows thought as surely as 
night follows day. 



THE MENTAL CONDITION OF STAMMERING 123 

Cultivate unceasingly, then, the positive mental atti- 
tude. By a full recognition of the higher self, you will 
clothe yourself with an aura of thought which will insensi- 
bly protect you from distracting outside influences. 

Until now, you have been controlled by the without; 
you have been the plaything and slave of outside circum- 
stances and thought-influences not of your own choosing. 
Wake up, now, and assume conscious control of the 
expressions of life ! Remember : "The line of evolution 
in man is towards self-control — conscious direction of the 
manifestations of life. The animal is fast being out- 
grown, and man is coming into expression." 

It is true that the accomplishment of these results calls 
for exercise of will-power and unswerving determination. 
But is not the prize— unfettered speech — well worth the 
effort? "The longer I live," says Buxton, "the more 
deeply am I convinced that that which makes the differ- 
ence between one man and another, between the weak and 
powerful, the great and insignificant, is energy — invincible 
determination — a purpose once formed, and then death or 
victory. This quality will do anything that is to be done 
in the world; and no talents, no circumstances, no oppor- 
tunities will make one a man without it." 

You wish freedom of speech? Then think and claim 
freedom of speech. Hold the model of correct speech 
before your mind just as the sculptor holds the model of 
the statue he is creating from the marble. Hold it per- 
sistently, "in your heart," and you will succeed. The key 
to this truth is the words, "in your heart!' It must be 
held there as a profound conviction in order to have full 
effect. 

The value of confidence in the efficacy of these exer- 
cises cannot be overstated. We must repeat, that with 
confidence in the outcome, you will get results far more 
quickly than if you go about the practice of them in a 
skeptical, half-hearted way. Confidence alone, has won 
many a battle. If you hold but a feeble, half-hearted 
expectation, you will be rewarded with but feeble, half- 
hearted results. 



124 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

Let your subjective mind see that you really believe 
wnat you say, and it will have confidence in your state- 
ments, will accept them as correct, and will act accord- 
ingly. 

And now a word or two more regarding the arch- 
enemy, fear-thought. Remember, that in whatever 
guise this enemy may intrude itself, it must be banished 
instantly. 

The subjective mind will, of course, continue for a 
time to thrust such thoughts upon you, having been so 
long established in this practice, and having found in the 
past that you gave such thoughts a friendly welcome — 
even dwelling upon them to the exclusion of almost all 
other impressions. But if you will set your face resolutely 
against this serpent, which you have cherished so long in 
your bosom, to your great injury; and, if you will only 
drive it away as soon as it presents itself, not waiting for 
it to actually gain admittance, you will soon find that it 
will become discouraged, and will slink off quickly. In 
time it will cease from bothering you. 

Be vigilant and determined; nothing more is required. 
The very simplicity of these principles may cause some 
persons to doubt their efficacy. Their truth, however, is 
well known to every psychologist, or student, in the realm 
of thought ; and their presentation here has been made 
especially simple in order that they may the more easil) 
be applied by every stammerer in working out his cure. 
The great majority of stammerers who may read this, 
will, we feel certain, recognize instinctively the sound- 
ness of these principles, and the practical value ot 
the method which we have formulated from these princi- 
ples. If, however, there should be any readers of this 
treatise, who may doubt the benefits likely to be gained 
by adopting this method for the relief of their impedi- 
ment, we would only say: be not skeptical, but set about 
practicing these exercises at once, confident in the knowl- 
edge that you are engaged in the application of a great 



THE MENTAL CONDITION OF STAMMERING 125 

psychic law, and let the results take care of themselves. 
In time, they will seem to you little short of marvelous. 

You must not be discouraged if these results do not 
materialize as quickly as you would like. Remember, you 
are undertaking to dismantle a structure of error which 
has been building for years. At first the beneficial effects 
may appear but slowly. Then, gradually, you will awaken 
to the realization that you are beyond any doubt effacing 
from the sub-conscious mind those destructive thought- 
habits which have all but wrecked your life, and that you 
are succeeding in replacing them with correct habits of 
thought which are uplifting you mentally and restoring 
you physically; and when this conviction does present 
itself, unmistakably, you will grapple to this method with 
all of the force of your will, strengthened by desire. 

Not only will you have freed yourself from the habit 
of stammering, by this system of mental training, but 
you will, at the same time, have cultivated and estab- 
lished those qualities of character — concentration, confi- 
dence and determination — qualities which are, alone, well 
worth any effort you may have put forth. 

The effects are produced like the dripping of water 
upon the stone; it is the working out of a physical law in 
the psychic world. 

To establish the correct attitude in the mind of the 
stammerer, is half the battle; and any treatment which 
will restore to the stammerer that natural confidence in 
which he is so deficient — such a treatment must be of 
paramount importance. 

To supply this essential part in the cure of stammering 
is the writer's chief aim. 

"There is no chance, no destiny, no fate, 
Can circumvent, or hinder, or control 
The firm resolve of a determined soul." 



WHAT IS STAMMERING? 

Stammering has been defined as "incoordination be- 
tween the will or mind, which wills to do ; and the muscles 
of the body used in making sound." Again, it has been 
defined as "the inability under certain conditions to articu- 
late or control the organs of speech which are usually 
under such circumstances, tightly held together, accom- 
panied in many cases by the substitution of one sound for 
another." Both of these definitions are reasonably good, 
but neither supplies a sufficient basis whereby we can rea- 
son from cause to effect. While I may not be able to 
supply a better one, something is lacking, through which 
we might draw an object lesson, and arrive nearer the 
malady which is so indeterminably interwoven with the 
important subject of mind and matter. Will not some one 
present a more progressive discussion of the psychologi- 
cal principles involved? I think such research and expo- 
sition will prove profitable. 

While there is a technical difference between stuttering 
and stammering, as a matter of suffering and relief, they 
are inseparable. The differentiation can be summarized 
by designating them as speech impediments of compound- 
ing degrees. A child stutters before he stammers, and is 
only a stammerer when the affliction becomes a part of his 
very being. The question most vital to us is not what is 
stammering, but to find the key which will unlock the 
impenetrable fortress which has not only baffled scientists 
and philosophers for generations, but for all time. By ex- 
changing notes we may be able to enlarge our little world 
of study and acquire a more wholesome conception of our 
needs and resume our struggle against teeming odds. 
While I may not be able to make a substantial contribu- 
tion, I hope I will not confuse. 

All writers upon stammering tell us that the stammerer 



WHAT IS STAMMERING? 12J 

seldom, if ever, stammers when speaking to an inanimate 
object, yet stammers when anyone enters the room. The 
presence of others never fails to produce a mental effect 
upon all people. While the stammerer may be a moral 
coward, the fact still remains, and that cowardice, whether 
real or imaginary, must be overcome. It is a part of the 
disease. The mental phases of the difficulty demand care- 
ful research. Confidence in self and mental equilibrium 
must be acquired both in truth and in fact as well as 
physical well-doing and correctness. The stammerer can 
usually mimic other people and particularly can mimic 
sounds, talk to pets, prattle with children and sing without 
difficulty. This will go to prove that the mental condition 
of the stammerer is a very important factor in all matters 
pertaining to action, especially exercising the power of 
speech. 

Able physicians tell us the condition of the mind exerts 
a powerful influence over the physical conditions of the 
individual, oftentimes promoting disease and health, and 
furnishes the basis of Christian science. The very fact that 
one can speak with freedom when alone, yet stammers be- 
fore his friends, while another stammers before strangers, 
is an anomaly, is a subject in itself worthy of the investiga- 
tion of an advanced psychologist. To many people it may 
suggest material for the discussion of personal magnetism 
or the reciprocation of mind with mind. Apart from the 
mental proposition, all stammerers are very nervous peo- 
ple. Whether this nervousness is the cause or the result of 
stammering, my observation is too limited to pass judg- 
ment. It is sufficient to know that all stammerers are ner- 
vous, and stammer little or much as they are momen- 
tarily affected and conditions menace. Stammering is both 
a mental and a physical difficulty. It may be the result 
of both, and is a mannerism which has many of the ele- 
ments of habit. It may be said that stammering is largely 
a habit. 

The mechanics of stammering are wide and varied, 
according to the temperament of the individual. A fev 



128 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

fundamental principles are obvious and common to all. 

My readers all know what it means to stammer, and the 
mechanical and physiological movements which constitute 
it. It is a stoppage of speech, the result of the inharmoni- 
ous action between mental desire and physical action. 
There is always existing and accompanying stam- 
mering an element which may be classed as a nervous dis- 
order. It is only conscious to him who is a confirmed stam- 
merer, and who suffers from acute stammering. It is his 
evil genius and follows him into drawing room and busi- 
ness thoroughfares. His extreme nervousness may con- 
junctively, with volition to vocalize, momentarily arrest 
respiration without a physical effort to speak being made. 
The air passage may remain open during the interval. 
The extreme nervousness in effect may be compared with 
an electrical apparatus, surcharged with force ; the perfec- 
tion and utility of the machinery of which will thereby be 
disconcerted. Probably a better comparison will be to say 
the result is similar to the workings of a delicate piece of 
machinery without a governor. In the case of the stam- 
merer his motive powers are unequally distributed, more 
particularly the nerve ganglia of speech. Seemingly this 
nerve center is unequal to its task, easily disturbed and 
uncertain when called to direct force. Seemingly the 
greater the force and the more vital the occasion the 
greater the injury. At other times this irregularity appears 
to be due to a deficiency of patent energy. Such mental 
discomfiture and irregularity of self-control must be driven 
away by force. In such event the electricity within the 
man will be properly distributed to all parts of the body, 
and local congestion relieved. 

Oxygen, the life of all the universe, will not be detained 
from one who is in such need. When we speak of stam- 
mering through the lack of the exercise of the will, we 
mean that the brain and will do not act in conjunction 
with reasonable force. Motive power is likewise clogged 
and unsatisfactory. To effect a cure, various movements 
of the body have been offered as devices for the removal 



WHAT IS STAMMERING? 129 

of the immediate cause of stammering ; these move- 
ments equalize nervous tension by the distribution of 
force, and administer a tonic to the will and provide 
self-confidence to the sufferer. Habitual stammering 
may be attributed to laxness of the diaphragm and ab- 
dominal walls and faulty articulation in speaking. 
The actual shortcoming is more the effect of a 
sleeping will and vacillating energy than physiological 
weakness. We stammer when the body is weak and the 
will is strong; and stammer when the will is weak and the 
body is strong. We usually talk poorly when both body 
and will are weak, and talk well when both body and will 
are strong. We lack unity of action and symmetry of 
character. What we most need is harmony of action. 
The stammerer when laboring blindly and alone no sooner 
overcomes, in whole or in part, a certain phase of his im- 
pediment when it breaks out in another place. Such is 
true in case of temporary relief. While he may consider 
himself practically cured, the germ still remains, and his 
mother tongue (stammering), sows tares while in abstract 
thought, diligence sleeps. An educator might say his ego 
is unclean and he has not risen above a barbaric state. 
Unity of action and symmetry of power is lacking in in- 
tegral form. It must be supplied in verity before we can 
be made whole. 

Our cogent factors, intellect and will, must not escape 
the crciticism they deserve. I do not believe that the posses- 
sor of a concise and logical brain and a constant will, ever 
was a confirmed stammerer. You arouse a stammerer, he, 
like others, will become erect and strike with precision in 
words equally as in deeds. He then thinks in words and 
in a direct line to the end. He then rises above his mean 
estate, and mind and body are united. If he is not equal 
to the occasion and not in part master, he wavers ; and for 
him to falter, means for him to fail. The advice given by 
Lady Macbeth to her liege lord, I fear, will avail us but 
little. After arousing one's will when he speaks, "to the 
sticking point," to know what one is going to say, and 

9 



130 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

how he is going to say it, while one is transacting business 
and grasping subtle problems, is asking more of us than a 
large majority of us are able to carry. In my opinion, it is 
far better to concentrate the thought and forget the weak- 
ness. To rely upon the temporary strengthening of the 
will at call to drive away the hallucinations of weakness 
and kindred evils, proves not very satisfactory. It alone is 
not sufficient, and will not always retain its charm. The 
etherial chord of egotism will most surely, sooner or later, 
succumb to conditions. If we rise above it, all well and 
good. Increased energy of thought, of word and deed, acts 
upon the vocal organs in an indirect and reflex manner 
only. The all-wise God provided that respiration should be 
increased or diminished as man's needs require. When the 
occasion demands the expenditure of physical and mental 
energy, he consumes oxygen in like proportion. He is 
either eloquent or uninteresting as occasion demands and 
the speaker is able to respond. If he has a message to 
impart to a multitude and he is strong, he rises to the 
occasion and the quantity of oxygen he consumes will fur- 
nish him corresponding lung capacity and material for 
sufficient volume of voice. Voice follows the brain intui- 
tively and responsively, not conjunctively. In all our 
endeavors and research we must keep this fact in mind. 
The modulations of the voice in pitch, quality and color 
are the reflection of the speaker's inward soul. Likewise a 
stammerer must be taught strictly according to the law of 
voice, overcoming habit and disease in due time. If ner- 
vousness is the result of stammering, to remove the cause 
insures rapid advancement and perfect cure. The child 
stammerer is troubled with a nervous disorder, and there 
usually follows illness, great mental excitement and 
fright. We have now passed that stage, and, conditions 
being different, we must remove the effect. We have not 
fully acquired habits of concentrated thought and correct 
thinking. These are controlling tenets more important to 
the stammerer than to others not so afflicted. Our mental 
conceptions are both word pictures and realistic scenes. If 



WHAT IS STAMMERING? I3I 

we think in words our conceptions will be clear and con- 
cise. If we indulge in incomplete pictures, confusion is 
sure to follow, and our vocabulary suffers in like propor- 
tion. The stammerer seldom, if ever, thinks wholly in 
words. It is said that he thinks faster than he can vocally 
execute. That many times is true, but oftener the thought 
is spread in mental landscape, and groups a sentence as 
one word. He may pass from one incomplete word and 
sentence to another, thereby not only allowing fragments 
of the column of devitalized air to escape him unvocalized, 
but by reason of such failure to properly articulate pho- 
netic sounds and economize the escaping air column, large 
blocks escape. The successful speaker is wrapped in his 
subject completely. He loses his identity and forgets self. 
The subserviency of physical man to intellectual man is 
perfect and complete. With the stammerer such a condi- 
tion seldom if ever exists. His soul never forgets that he 
is a stammerer and his sensitive nature is ever receptive 
to unfavorable condition. They may appear before him 
with or without conscious volition, whether transitory or 
lasting, they cannot be successfully ignored. The seeming 
incorrigibles are the mental stammerers. They stammer in 
their study, in their reveries and their dreams. Truly, "he 
that conquers himself is greater than he who has taken a 
city." The stammerer must first find self-control. He 
must succeed in separating himself from a bondage more 
painful than slavery. Think, speak and act according to 
the rules prescribed by nature, the divine law. 

The stammerer presents a unique psychological problem. 
His forebodings of inability to speak and horror of cer- 
tain words, and the rise and fall of his "ego" are apparent 
as time, place and circumstances present difficulties to his 
weird brain. In moments of abstraction or during con- 
crete thought, he vocalizes with reasonable freedom. His 
inability to successfully repeat a word when once properly 
spoken, and the recurring terror of failure, is a phenome- 
non that may be attributed to and designated as psychic 
mechanics. It is an unseen power, cannot be circum- 



132 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

scribed, and for no better name we call it force. Between 
man and man we call it animal magnetism. Man as an 
entity is either positive or negative. With the stammerer, 
he is a negative one. He needs his positive psychical com- 
plement. The Hindo yogis divide nature into force and 
substance. We call it mind and matter. Too often mind 
is not the servant of man as it should be. The power which 
impresses man is the power in man to control other men. 
When the mind is the servant of man and he favorably 
impresses men, the finer pulsations of the nerve currents 
play upon one another, and the various attributes of the 
body will come to him in form and power. This study has 
been called "Suggestive Therapeutics." It has not yet 
advanced to the plane of a science. The weakness of the 
stammerer is self-accusative. Lytton says, "Shame con- 
sists not in the loss of other men's respect, but our own." 
He in a measure contends with that self-accuser. Intel- 
lect influences unconsciously as well as through the inter- 
vention of intent. Sympathy seldom produces good results, 
in that the encouraging element is wanting. 

The stammerer has not only his own weakness to com- 
bat, but the reductive magnetic force of a superior indi- 
viduality. When he meets a stranger among strangers, he 
has not his own evil genius to remind him of his impedi- 
ment. Even should it be discovered, it does not carry 
with it such humiliation. Aside from habit, stammering 
is much the result of the absence of self-confidence. The 
difficulty may or may not exist without cause. Let it suf- 
fice by saying that the magnetic influence which enabled 
Wendell Phillips to thrill an audience, and Choate to 
hypnotize a jury, is not to be commanded by us. They 
drew their power and inspiration from the audience. This 
reciprocative telepathy must be reclaimed for us. A rea- 
sonable share of it is our birthright. It is not spiritualism. 
It is not hypnotism. It is metaphysics, pure and simple. 
It is the law supporting self-respect, the mainspring guid- 
ing mutual love and confidence, and the essence of Chris- 
tian devotion. Will not some one solve the problem? 



\ 



WHAT IS STAMMERING? I33 

Self-inspection reveals to us many griefs and short- 
comings. Possibly the divine meant us when he said, 
"We may have been letting weeds grow in our hearts." 
Another said, "In growth there is no flying, and the lad- 
der can only be reached step by step." Weeds have grown 
in our hearts and we have nurtured them through ignor- 
ance. To eradicate them and reach the top of the ladder 
we must now gain and advance step by step. In advanc- 
ing we must trust something; let it be ourselves. If you 
think you are disappointed with yourself, look deeper. 
Truth stands ready for us to receive it. Listen to the 
voice that speaks where there are none to speak. How 
can you hear unless you open your soul ? Face your soul ; 
admit you have not reached the equilibrium. This is true 
with us. We have not looked deep enough; nor have we 
reached the equilibrium. We have not listened; nor have 
we opened our souls. We are disappointed with ourselves. 
We are, as a rule, isolated beings and cannot hear because 
there are none qualified to speak; and cannot open our 
souls because our hearts are empty and seared. 

Richard Mansfield, writing in Collier's Weekly, likens 
the somber shadow of an audience to a hungry monster 
coming nightly to be fed. He also speaks of the influence 
the audience has upon the actor when he once enters 
upon the stage and the vital importance of its approval 
or disapproval. 

He says : "Ah, I wonder if the monster has a heart ? 
Is there a great heart in this great audience? Does it 
love me? Or -is it only there to be fed? And when I am 
worn out and drop down, and it goes out hungry to 
drag itself elsewhere for its nightly food, I wonder 
whether it will bestow a passing thought upon the little 
man in the limelight that threw his life to it every night, 
every night across the footlights to be shredded, torn and 
chewed, swallowed and disgested. Does it know what I 
am suffering, as I stand there before the first few words 
find their way through the dry and choking passage of 
my throat? Do you know what it is for me to face that 



134 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

monster? I wonder is it kind tonight and in a good 
humor, or will it quarrel with what I can give it? It is 
always the best I have. 'What an epicurian monster.' 
So many heads with so many ways of thinking. How 
often in my closet, before my glass, have I thrilled my 
very reflection with the vehemence and power of my 
delivery, to cast it at night into the stony and unmoved 
faces of an unfriendly monster. How often has an audi- 
ence arisen to roar its approval and delight at a certain 
passage which another monster has received in apathetic 
silence." 

Profitable thought may be deduced from the state- 
ments of this tragedian. He faces no greater monster 
than the stammerer faces, when he (the stammerer) faces 
his long list of failures to speak under similar conditions, 
and now must risk another encounter. The effect pro- 
duced upon the audience is always in evidence; but the 
effect of the audience upon the actor is seldom, if ever 
taken into consideration. Nor do we comprehend why 
the stammerer can speak so much better at times, under 
certain conditions, than under others. In like manner 
the effect produced by the world at large upon the stam- 
merer is little taken into consideration and known by the 
persons who compose it. Neither are they at fault. 
Human life is a contest for existence. Such existence 
may be very primitive or abound in regal splendor. 

Why should we expect them to stop long enough to 
seriously consider that which we ourselves confess 
they cannot intelligently comprehend, let alone success- 
fully mitigate. This influence remains and must be fairly 
and philosophically met. Never accuse the world of being 
unkind; it is more just and kind to us than we are to 
ourselves. Sympathy is always bestowed in unbounded 
measure. It is not an uncommon thing for such sympathy 
to cause more pain than a shaft thrust by the imitator. 
How many of my readers have witnessed pain depicted 
upon the face of one who is compelled to listen until his 
errand is made known. Taunting should be harmless, save 



WHAT IS STAMMERING? 135 

to children, for such, thoughtless themselves, may fall by 
the wayside and become stammerers of greater degree. 
None but the child stammerer should be aggrieved at the 
mimicry of others. Pain, other than physical, consists in 
not being able to talk and do as others do, and the knowl- 
edge that the coveted prizes of the world are beyond our 
reach. No pain or suffering should fall upon an adult 
stammerer other than that of physical pain, the result of 
unnatural effort to speak, inability to be more useful to 
self and congenial to others, the exception. Possibly I 
may add the knowledge that our misfortune may cause 
others to have pity and be sad. Either taken alone is 
great enough. If one must be a stammerer, he should 
accept the situation with cheerfulness, suffer as little as 
possible and work and hope for the time to come when 
he will overcome it. Such can and has been done by 
others. 

Do you will strong enough to do it? But few can 
without competent aid. 

A word might be said about the. position to which a 
stammerer might aspire : to all the good things of this 
earth and the hope of all there is beyond. 

He is compelled to choose the substantial blessings of 
life. The pleasures of the drawing-room are not his. 
A leader in society in the usual accepted term, he must 
not hope to be. To be admired for his personal presence 
and much speaking, he must not contemplate. Do not 
gather the impression that the stammerer should not enter 
society. Social life should be encouraged and culti- 
vated. To do so will alleviate seeming embarrass- 
ment and make a cure less difficult and more probable. 
There are things he cannot do and certain duties he owes 
to himself and to his friends. He must avail himself of 
what tact and talent he has to offer and to please and 
no more. There are no reasons why a stammerer should 
not be the best informed man in his community. It should 
enable him to know men better and consequently be wiser 
and happier. He will profit quite as well observing his 



I36 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

more fortunate brother flittering his time and usefulness 
away. Countless pages of printed matter and numberless 
volumes of good books are his, inviting his perusal. Will 
he improve or will he pine away and exhaust himself 
in execration and grief? Many brighter minds than ours 
have borne no fruit because fortune has enabled the pos- 
sessors to spend life in gaiety and pleasure. Many noted 
men in history, science and letters, though stammerers, 
have become famous because of their willingness to avail 
themselves of opportunity and the superior talents they 
possessed. The stammerer may be an ornament of so- 
ciety, because of his fund of stored knowledge and sub- 
stantial character and standing as a citizen. It is folly 
to feel injured because others laugh at some of our ex- 
pressions, which oftentimes upon reflection we know were 
amusing. Why aggrieved because some callow and brain- 
less youth with silver tongue is better received than he 
deserves? We must not expect too much of others. Nor 
do we want sympathy. It is substantial encouragement 
we need. First, to try to be honest with self, then the 
clouds of depression will be more easily removed and the 
victory more than half won. I have tasted all the bitter- 
ness common to all. Try my advice and see if life will not 
be more bearable and victory seem nearer. 

The unseen force which plays so important a part in 
the successes of the great actor and its counted influence 
is beyond our control, and cannot be successfully contem- 
plated as a science. We speak of some men as magnetic 
and others as cold and unresponsive. The stammerer is 
a very sensitive individual. He receives sensations quickly 
and suffers, or he is happy in equal intensive degree. 
Despite the fact that others more competent than I to 
judge, declare that the stammerer talks better to strangers 
than to friends, because he wishes to hide his defect, I 
make claim that oftener it is the result of the absence 
of suggestion that either is a stammerer. Whether the 
stammerer wishes the stranger's good will, plays an im- 
portant part toward his composure. If he forgets he is a 



WHAT IS STAMMERING? 137 

stammerer and the stranger is not expecting him to stam- 
mer, that depressive influence is wanting. If he stammers, 
then he is a stammerer by force of habit more than by the 
result of disease. The author of "The Practical Treatment 
of Stammering" tells how the presence of a farther caused 
a stammerer to tremble and speak with great difficulty, and 
how when alone with the child, separated from the father, 
he led it into the realms of forgetfulness and fed it 
upon positive and progressive sympathy, instead of nega- 
tive mental telepathy. Can the erstwhile educator learn 
to know the stammering child's needs? If so, can we 
claim the child's patience? It is doubtful with our pres- 
ent enlightenment if we would be better than they were 
we placed in their position. 

Heretofore we have heard much about our souls for- 
getting that we are stammerers, and could we so forget, 
we would never stammer again, and of the stammerer 
speaking fluently when he is master of the situation. 
What do we mean by it? I understand by it that these 
stammerers have arrived at such an age that the curse 
has become a disease and that the nervous system is ex- 
tremely sensitive to physiological impressions. They have 
also advanced to a stage that under favorable conditions 
they do not stammer to any considerable degree. They 
have increased their muscular vigor until it and their 
nervous impulses will nearly counterpoise. 

To be master of the situation means to be in a position 
where there are no reductive influences to affect vital- 
ity, equilibrium and composure. If one stammers before 
a stranger, of whose good opinion he is not particu- 
larly desirous, then he stammers principally from habit, 
his mother tongue pure and simple, poor articula- 
tion and without use of sufficient mental resolution. A 
moderate stammerer looks down upon a more unfortunate 
one with scrutiny and is conscious of superior strength. 
His sympathy goes out to him while the hopeless brother 
is doubly reminded of his thralldom. The one is part 
master of self while the other has nothing but reductive 



I38 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

influences to drive his spiritual thermometer lower and 
lower. 

Exclusive of the nervous complications caused by stam- 
mering, the discussion may be resolved into an investiga- 
tion of the application of the will, the quantity and quality 
of energy voluntarily and habitually expended, and how 
much of the difficulty can be attributed to imperfect artic- 
ulation through habit. Manners, speech, presence and 
character are largely confirmed by habit. Under compe- 
tent instruction and surrounding influences, all these attri- 
butes may be materially changed for better or for worse. 
With the stammerer he has not the competent instructor 
nor the competent and viligant critic to be ever present to 
warn and guide him. 

One of the most serious conditions to be met and over- 
come is fear of stammering. In this particular the stam- 
merer is his own evil genius. It is an idiosyncrasy always 
present with him and most difficult to dissipate. Were I 
to attempt to discuss it I would first make claim that such 
fear may be present in conscious active form or instinctive 
in its reductive presence. It is a morbid reflex action 
which is present with the stammerer. Determination, 
anger, joy and grief may momentarily dispel it, only to 
return when conditions relapse to the normal tempera- 
ment. 

Evidently the stammerer's greatest cogent difficulty 
is in the direction of the nervous forces of the body and 
stimulation to action of the organs used in producing 
articulate speech; I might add, the formulation of har- 
mony in action when sufficient stimulation is once pro- 
duced. The accumulated force within the body is an 
entity in form and should be a unit in utility. Theoret- 
ically and practically the mental energy of the will as 
propelled by the stammerer over such nervous force is 
unsteady and not continuous in fervor. In like manner 
such force is inequally distributed, likewise wavering and 
irregular. 

While the proposition is largely clothed in theory and 



WHAT IS STAMMERING? 139 

will bear extended research and discussion, stammering 
may be due to a weakness in that portion of the brain 
which governs and presides over the faculty of speech. 
If true, it is of such a kind that may be overcome by 
strengthening it through the culture of its attributes. It is 
more probable that the portion of the brain which controls 
the motions requisite for the production of speech, has 
become morbidly irritable and susceptible to impressions 
from without and is apt to issue more nervous impulse 
than is proportionate to the stimulus applied to the parts 
and vice versa. And by reason of this irritability, the 
brain and the organs and parts used collectively and con- 
junctively in producing articulate speech are thrown into 
disorder and disunion of action. 

So delicately responsive are the receiving vesicles that a 
mere mental desire to speak may cause the respiratory 
and vocal organs to act spasmodically. This is the usual 
condition of the stammerer when he contemplates articu- 
late speech. His fear and self-considered inferiority is 
always present with him. It can be better illustrated by 
quoting the experience of another, who says : "I have 
often intercourse with men for whom I feel so much 
respect, that it is almost impossible for me to speak to 
them when I appear before them." This is true with all 
men, but more especially with the stammerer. This con- 
dition exists until the conversation becomes general or 
animated when the stammerer's individuality is lost in 
the mazes. He has been led to momentarily forget that 
which the moment before, his five senses would not allow 
him to drive away. Upon such occasions as this the 
desire to speak is not wanting, he may forget that he is 
a stammerer until pain and failure to speak make known 
to him that he has failed. 

We are exhorted that "eternal vigilance is the price of 
liberty." It is true, yet to successfully apply it requires 
a master. Vigilance corrects only defects of habit. Thus 
in so far as stammering is a habit, vigilance is sufficient. 
But in so far as there is a disease it alone is not absolute. 



140 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

The theory of opposite mental emotions is advanced. 
This is true when any one is confused, but cannot be 
accepted in full as applied to the real stammerer. His 
contending emotions are, I must speak; can I without 
stammering? It is a new proposition to me. I prefer 
to attribute it to excessive emotion conjoined with failure 
to concentrate thought. Either the individual does not 
think in words or does not do so logically and with firm- 
ness. What we are seeking is to command a strong and 
undivided mental effort; a strong, concise and perfect 
mental conception supported by composure and sufficient 
physical energy. It is vocal muscular energy we need, not 
excessive mental impulse. 

Without fear of successful contradiction, it may be 
stated, stammering is caused by irregularity in the nervous 
action of the parts which combine to produce speech. This 
invariably is not due to a malformation of the parts but 
to incoordination of muscular movements of the organs 
used to produce articulate speech. This misdirection of 
vital force is universally conceded. In the absence of no 
better terms of vocabulary, we designate the difficulty as 
due to the improper use of the will, and the insufficient 
diffusion of physical energy to the contiguous parts. 
Whether it is due to the unequal distribution of force or 
neuro-congestion of particular viceras, science has made 
no decisive demonstration. We do know that incoordina- 
tion of the organs employed in producing articulate speech 
is present with us and that the pneumogastric nerve, the 
governor of respiration, is not without fault. Evidently 
stammering is due both to excessive as well as to deficient 
application of physical energy. Either will cause inability 
to generate proper physical action sufficiently accurate 
to enable the individual to speak with reasonable fluency 
and correctness. In this province, respiration must not 
be overlooked. It is lung capacity which supplies the 
system with oxygen, and oxygen is life and energy itself. 
The arrest of respiration always accompanies stammer- 
ing and may be said to be the original mechanical agency 



WHAT IS STAMMERING? 141 

to be mastered, for the reason that when stammering oc- 
curs, correct breathing is impossible. The paralyzing 
and depressive nervous sensations which are the precur- 
sors of the stammerer's "boge," or fear, are principally 
due to the denial of sufficient oxygen to the brain. More 
than that, the body is deprived of its power. 

Stammering is recognized to be largely a habit. In 
ordinary conversation with friends, stammering is a 
habit in the same degree that any other disagreeable man- 
nerism in speaking is a habit. The stammerer at such 
times fails to exercise his will to the extent that the vocal 
organs are properly placed and kept in motion. His 
thought conceptions are usually incomplete. It is also 
largely due to a failure to articulate and economize the 
column of air he should have at his disposal. If this 
were the only shortcoming the stammerer had, his cure 
would soon be perfected. Correct habits of articulation 
can be easily acquired. Stammering is inseparable from 
the mind, and permeates the nerves and muscular tissue. 
To effect a cure of stammering, correct speaking and 
thinking must be continued until incorrect habits of 
speaking and thinking are overcome. They will only 
be correct habits when the weakened parts, mental and 
physical, are made strong and successfully do their part, 
and when the voice instinctively and without prompting, 
accompanies the desire and impulse to speak. 

Stammering, as we contemplate and discuss it, is some- 
thing more than a habit. It is accompanied by nervous 
complications. The real cause and difficulty is "irregular- 
ity in the nervous action of the parts which combine to 
produce speech." It consists in irregular vocal impulses 
sent to the organs of speech and usually is the result of 
bad mental conception and ill arrangement of thought. 
Fear of stammering and physical weakness of the different 
coordinating parts plays an important influence upon 
the means to be employed to effect relief. This absence 
of cooperation among the active faculties "gives rise to a 
plurality instead of a unity of nervous purpose," and 



142 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

consequently irregular movement, instead of a unity of 
muscular combinations, follows. Plurality of nervous pur- 
pose must not be confounded with plurality of mental 
purpose. The latter afflicts all persons, when confused, 
and is not an attribute of the stammerer alone. Unity 
of emotive purpose and unity of muscular action is con- 
trolled and influenced by patent force or electricity, 
which is present in all animate bodies. The emotive pur- 
pose is volition to speak and the nervous purpose is the 
power or servant that executes the order. I beg leave to 
advance the proposition that such force is an entity and 
its efficacy depends upon the regularity of its circuit the 
same as that of the blood. I see no reason why that such 
flow may not, upon derangement, be unequally distributed 
and put in action accordingly. 

We read about certain emotions being caused by excit- 
ing the brain and directing a powerful nervous influx 
upon the organs of speech which frees the stammerer of 
his infirmity for a time. Also we read about a nervous 
influx upon the movements of the vocal muscles producing 
too much nervous influence on the muscles which are em- 
ployed in speaking, resulting in the improper control of 
such muscles. To my mind, such truths teach that what- 
ever diminishes the nervous flow to some other part of 
the body, and relieves or weakens such part, with the 
stammerer diminishes stammering in like proportion. Do 
not confuse this rule with habitual stammering in common 
conversation. In such cases the other extreme is reached, 
namely, a sleeping will and deficient energy. The treat- 
ment in such cases must be chosen which applies to the 
individual. 

One of the systems of cure for stammering that I have 
become familiar with, (not the Lezvis method,) seeks to 
keep the larynx open and the vocal cords tense by keeping 
the epiglottis erect. It is a correct principle, but 
does not go far enough. The closure of the air 
passage is the result of an unsuccessful desire or attempt 
to vocalize. It is a child of the cause and not the primary 



WHAT IS STAMMERING? 143 

cause itself. When you make the cooperating organs 
strong and perfect in movement, the epiglottis will seek 
its correct position. All the different systems resolve 
themselves into methods whereby the nervous force of the 
body is equalized and physical correctness and mental 
equipoise are temporarily maintained. If sustained for a 
sufficient length of time, the weakened parts become 
strong, correct speaking will become a habit in the same 
measure and force that pleasant mannerisms and elo- 
quence become habitual. Character and vigor is infused 
and rejuvenated. 

Various devices are used. One divides the attention 
in order to cause deliberation and composure. Another 
seeks dividing the thought, in order that nervous tension 
may be reduced, premising the good results upon the the- 
ory that the mind is too intently fixed upon one thing, and 
the one effort, claiming that to divide the mind's attention 
will cause deliberation and composure. While still another 
teaches methods to promote rhythm in the utterance of 
the syllables in a sentence. They are all correct in this 
particular that they have arrested the throwing out of too 
much nervous influence to the muscles which are employed 
in speaking, and are cultivating mental deliberation in an 
available way. The exercises, if perfectly performed, will 
assist in equalizing the nervous forces of the body and 
promote proper vocalization. Another element must not 
be overlooked, that confidence in self has been in- 
fused by these methods and sufficient vital stimulation 
has been generated within the individual to insure reason- 
able vocalization. These, my conclusions, clearly prove 
to me that relief from stammering obtained by the various 
methods used, that confidence in self and methods, pro- 
motes constitutional energy, and a determination of pur- 
pose, requisite to support a composed purpose; and that 
the described movements of the body assist in relaxing 
the distraught members of the vocal propaganda and 
establish a perfect and complete neuro-circulation. All of 
the positive advices are successful, because of the confi- 



144 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

dence they give the student in his ability to speak. They 
increase clear thinking and give a united and aggressive 
physical energy. Were these principles taught, continued 
for a sufficient length of time, until the injured parts are 
strengthened and perfect speech a habit, all would be well. 
Instead of dividing our thoughts and attention we should 
draw them closer together. Acquire the equalization of 
our vital force through correct and natural methods. 
Then when we reclaim composure, deliberation, clear 
thinking and correct speaking, our relief will be lasting. 
Is it possible to succeed alone? We are children to be 
taught, and there are none present competent to suggest 
when we are laboring in the wrong. Nor is there anyone 
present to warn us when we obliviously relapse. We are 
seeking a state where stammering will exist only as a 
reminiscence and when we shall speak correctly by im- 
pulse alone. 



THE CURE OF STAMMERING 

As generally considered, stammering embraces all 
forms of defective speech, and may be defined as an 
inability to produce sound at will. Language is distinctly 
a result of voluntary mental and muscular action. With 
non-stammerers, however, the action of the mind, nerves, 
muscles and vocal organs, are -so nearly simultaneous that 
in the conduct of ordinary conversation the speaker is 
wholly insensible of mental or muscular effort. The stam- 
merer, on the contrary, produces speech by the exercising 
of great mental and physical exertion only. This effort 
is put forth in various directions; for example, in the 
selection of words, substituting synonymous words easier 
of articulation for those more difficult, or, perhaps, impos- 
sible of utterance — often consisting of the mental forma- 
tion of entire sentences before a sound is even attempted 
— and always takes place in actual articulation. 



THE CURE OF STAMMERING 145 

HABIT — DISEASE 

Whether or not stammering and stuttering are really 
diseases or habits merely, I am not qualified to state, 
but I do know that defective speech is not only seldom 
due to organic defect in the vocal organs, but, as a rule, 
begins in imitation, unconscious or otherwise, which rap- 
idly develops into habit. All of us know that in habit there 
is a point beyond which that habit cannot extend, and, I 
submit, if at this stage its practice seriously affects the 
health, strength and vitality, and at the same time is be- 
yond the control of the sufferer, it may very properly and 
certainly be termed a disease; and as stammerers never 
stutter, but stutterers are predisposed to and occasionally 
do become stammerers, it is clear that stammering may 
include both defects and is that final stage cf habit. Dis- 
tinctly defined, stammering is an inability to produce 
desired sound at will, and stuttering the repetition of more 
sounds of the same kind than are needed. I choose to 
term stammering, the worse stage, a disease; and stutter- 
ing, a habit. 



CLASSES OF STAMMERERS 

Persons who suffer from defective speech may be di- 
vided into three classes: i. Those who stammer con- 
stantly, regardless of circumstances and surrounding. 2. 
Those, who, regardless of circumstances and surroundings, 
sometimes stammer and sometimes do not. 3. Those whose 
stammering is greatly influenced by circumstances and 
surroundings. With those of the first class, stammering 
is nothing more or less than a disease, caused, probably, 
by excessive and long indulged stuttering. It is, however, 
none the less a disease, and, like most diseases, is subject 
to cure under certain conditions. Observation leads me to 
believe that class 2 is more frequently composed of stut- 
terers of the severe type, upon whom is becoming rapidly 
fixed a habit which, unless checked, must end in the dis- 
10 



I46 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

ease of stammering. In the 3rd class may be placed 
those who stutter much or little because of the presence 
or absence of certain persons, or because the surroundings 
are unusual and exceptional. These are the nervous, sen- 
sitive, retiring people who ordinarily lack the confidence 
requisite to self-assertion. 



FORMER TREATMENT FOR CURE 

Formerly, treatment for the cure of stammering con- 
sisted in the placing of rollers under the tongue, the cut- 
ting out of the tonsils, the application of electricity, and 
sometimes extended to actual mutilation of the tongue and 
other organs. Unless aimed at either organic affection or 
actual malformation of the organs of speech, which is 
rarely the case, it is difficult to understand why these 
modes of treatment should have been expected to effect a 
cure, and I imagine the treatment was largely experimental 
and the percentage of cures very small. Later, we find 
the theory that the sole seat of defective speech is in the 
glottis. This can be true only as to sounds of the 
throat, commonly termed vowel sounds. Another theory 
was that the difficulty was due to spasmodic action of the 
muscles concerned in the production of sound. This, too, 
is but partly true, for the reasons: first, that sound does 
not constitute speech ; second, that but one set of the mus- 
cles used in articulation are necessary to the production 
of sound, those of the glottis. Then, too, spasmodic mus- 
cular action being entirely due to nervous disorder, the 
theory does not extend to the real seat of the difficulty. 
The peculiarity of old methods of treatment lies in the 
fact that in their endeavor to remedy what they considered 
to be the result of malformation, the so-called "professors" 
so mutilated the organs of speech and by artificial means 
so changed their natural position that perfect speech must 
have become thereafter impossible. 



THE CURE OF STAMMERING 147 

IMPEDIMENTS OF SPEECH 

Impediments of speech are vowel, labial and lingual; 
i. e., the immediate manifestation of the difficulty may be in 
the throat, in the lips, or in the tongue. Vowel stammering 
is due to a closing of the glottis, which, being the entrance 
to the larynx, the upper part of the windpipe, prevents the 
voice or breath from escaping from the lungs. This im- 
pediment, which constitutes stammering proper, inability 
to produce sound, may occur in the enunciation of all 
words or syllables which commence with letters the forma- 
tion of which takes place in the throat. Labial impediment 
appears when attempt is made to enunciate words and syl- 
lables commencing with letters which require a closing of 
the lips; for example b, m, p and sp. The difficulty is 
experienced because the lips either remain closed longer 
than is necessary to form the word, or open and close rap- 
idly, producing the same sound over and over. Lingual 
impediment appears in the attempted pronunciation of 
words or syllables beginning with letters formed by press- 
ing with the tongue against the roots of the upper teeth, as 
in d, I, n, s and t, spasmodic action of the tongue either 
preventing voice and breath from escaping or causing the 
sounds to be rapidly repeated. 



RELATION OF RESPIRATION TO SPEECH. 

Sound cannot be produced without air, nor air obtained 
without respiration, that alternate expansion and contrac- 
tion of the chest, which is effected by the inspiration and 
expiration of air through the larynx and windpipe into and 
out of the lungs. The chest having a constitutional ten- 
dency to collapse, its expansion in inspiration is due to 
muscular action. Because of this tendency of the chest to 
recoil, no muscular power is exerted in ordinary expira- 
tion (breathing), but in the voluntary expiratory efforts of 
speaking, singing, etc., this recoil power is insufficient to 



I48 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

generate the stronger power or current of air necessary to 
produce sound, and the diaphragm is called into play ; con- 
sequently, respiration must, to some extent, be under the 
control of the will. In ordinary respiration the vocal 
cords are so adjusted by their muscles that the glottis is 
widely open, widening in inspiration and narrowing in 
expiration. In vocalization the vocal cords approximate 
and become parallel, their tension increasing in high notes 
and decreasing in low ones, the glottis correspondingly 
widening or narrowing to facilitate the production of the 
tone. The glottis, which under ordinary conditions is a 
triangular fissure between them, can be entirely closed by 
approximation of the vocal cords. 



THE PRODUCTION OF SOUND 

Sound is produced by the passing of columns of expired 
air through the glottis and over the edges of the inferior 
vocal cords. Sound, however, is but vocalization, and not 
speech — young babies occasionally produce sound, but 
their best friend would hesitate before terming that sound 
speech; while there may be sound without speech, there 
cannot be speech without sound. 



SPEECH 

Speech is articulate sound. Sound is moulded into 
speech by the glottis, the tongue, and the lips; the vocal 
cords, beyond producing sound, have nothing to do with 
speech, unless it be when by too great approximation they 
entirely close the glottis and so prevent both articulation 
and sound. Musical tones, through various alterations in 
position and degree of tension of the vocal cords effected 
by means of the laryngeal muscles, are formed in the 
larynx, but words used in singing are framed by the same 
organs and in the same manner as in speaking. Articu- 
late sound, or speech, consists of vowels and consonants. 



THE CURE OF STAMMERING 149 

Vowels are generated by the larynx; consonants are 
formed by interruptions of the currents of air in the air 
passages above the larynx. In utterance, the sounds of 
some consonants h, f, s and r, are capable of prolongation 
so long as constant expiration and a particular position 
of the mouth are maintained. The sounds of others b, d, 
hard g, and p are incapable of this prolongation because 
of sudden change in the conformation of the mouth. Sim- 
ilar differences as to time exist also in sounds. 



CAUSES OF IMPEDIMENT IN SPEECH 

Defective speech is caused chiefly by want of an un- 
obstructed passage for the breath from the lungs, 
and so far as speech is concerned, respiration is to a large 
extent voluntary. In perfect speech the actions of the es- 
sential organs are controlled by voluntary muscular action. 
In defective speech muscular action is more or less spas- 
modic, and we find involuntary action where the control 
of the will should be absolute. Spasmodic action being an 
unnatural, involuntary, irregular, contractive action of 
muscular parts, we find that defective speech is largely due 
to this cause and is due also to a defect in respiration. 

In effect there is a great difference between faulty ac- 
tion of the glottis and faulty action of the tongue and lips, 
for if there be but temporary closure of the former, not 
only speech but also sound cannot be produced, while the 
latter concerns entirely the articulation and pronouncia- 
tion of words and syllables. Where because of disease 
it has been necessary to remove the tongue, speech, 
while it became imperfect, was not lost except as to 
those letters formed by the action of the tongue — 
probably the same is also true as to the lips. Result- 
ing from convulsive action of the muscles, impediments 
in speech must necessarily include a disordered action of 
those certain nervous centers whose principal functions are 
those of volition, motor and reflex action, and particularly 
the center that sends out impulses during inspiration which 



150 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

causes respiratory movements of the muscles of the nos- 
tril, jaws, glottis, the muscles which produce a raising of 
the ribs and of the diaphragm, and, during expiration, cer- 
tain other muscles. It is also well established that at cer- 
tain stages nervous disorders seriously affect the mind. To 
sum up, we find that the the true causes of defective speech 
should be sought in the brain, the nerves, the muscles, and 
occasionally in the organs of speech themselves. Except 
in almost isolated cases, however, the faulty action of 
these muscles, is due almost wholly to habit. This is 
true also even in so-called cases due to hereditary trans- 
mission, for as improper action itself cannot be transmit- 
ted, that which really is inherited can be but a tendency to 
stammer, regardless of liability of contraction through 
imitation or association. 



EFFECT OF DEFECTIVE SPEECH 

As the nerves affect speech, so defective speech, by 
keeping one in a state of constant excitement and worry, 
affects the nerves and tends to increase the malady not 
only in frequency, but also in severity. Observe the stam- 
merer when speaking and afterward. You will find the 
rapid breathing and flushed face indicative of great mental 
exertion, great physical exertion and increased action of 
the heart. Then, too, the complaint necessarily is a cause 
for unhappiness and self-loathing to the sufferer and for 
curiosity and, sometimes, amusement to his fellow-men. 
Think you this state of affairs can fail to have its effect 
upon the brain and, finally, upon the health ? The surprise 
lies in the fact that the stammerer so long and so man- 
fully keeps up the fight. Undoubtedly, too, the habit great- 
ly handicaps one in struggling for success. 

In addition to this, the very knowledge of his infirmity 
makes the sufferer not only hesitate to push himself and 
his interests and causes him to avoid the society of those 
with whom it is to his advantage to associate, but actually 



THE CURE OF STAMMERING 151 

deprives him of the use of his own knowledge for his own 
benefit. His stammering not only incalculably affects the 
stammerer himself, but is the cause of injury to others, 
endangering the speaking facilities of every young person 
with whom he may come in contact; for whatever caution 
we may use, we cannot but to some degree absorb, by in- 
voluntary imitation or otherwise, the habits of those with 
whom we associate. To those who succeed us, the injury 
may extend in the form of a tendency toward the habit; 
which tendency becomes the more apt to be developed by 
the influence surrounding the child in its infancy when it 
must needs learn from those constantly present — peculiari- 
ties far less liable to imitation are observable in whole 
families. May it not, indeed, be criminal to deliberately 
transmit to those innocents a tendency toward that which 
will subject them in childhood, to the ridicule and jests of 
their playmates and to the impatience of teachers ; in youth 
to personal mortification, discouragement and disgust. 
Stammering in manhood, tends to handicap the sufferer 
in his fight against the world, to deprive him of the 
pleasures of social life, to subject him to the pity and 
commiseration of his friends, and finally may be instru- 
mental in the misfortune of still another innocent. 



CURE 

If the organs of speech can sometimes produce perfect 
articulation, as is the case with stammerers, what better 
evidence is needed to prove that stammering is a curable 
defect? And if in this scientific age disease in its worst 
form yields to treatment, why not stammering? Nothing 
worth having, however, is obtainable without the ex- 
penditure of a certain amount of time, care, patience and 
perseverance. This is equally true of the cure of stam- 
mering. A habit of years cannot be at once cast aside, but 
yield it must to proper, patient, systematic treatment. The 
patient should at once drop all other habits the practice of 



152 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

which injuriously affects the brain, the heart, the nerves, 
or respiration — because such habits tend to increase spas- 
modic muscular action. The patient should be drilled in 
distinct articulation and slow speech and in respiration 
until proper respiration and articulation become to some 
degree natural. The practice of abnormal movement of 
the jaws while speaking will strengthen those muscles 
of the lips necessary to the articulation of labial sounds. 
Drill in articulation should be almost entirely confined 
to consonant sounds which require complex movements 
of the muscles concerned in proper enunciation. Vowel 
sounds being formed between the vocal cords and issuing 
therefrom are more easily and naturally produced. All 
drill should take place under an instructor, for the reason 
that it will be more regular and systematic; not only this, 
but an instructor can more readily perceive defective and 
careless practice, dropping valuable hints for the cor- 
rection of the former and drawing attention to the latter. 

Physical exercise, preferably in the open air, should be 
regularly taken; for the reason that healthful action of 
the muscles promotes health and the impediment is apt 
to alternate in direct ratio with one's physical condition. 
Excessive and violent exercise should be avoided, because 
such increases heart action, and respiration ordinarily 
corresponds to similar variations in the pulsations of the 
heart. Sufficient sleep should be regularly taken. Nearly 
all of us sleep too little, yet this is the season of vita! 
recuperation, and repairs go on which are absolutely 
essential to health. The stammerer should cultivate and 
preserve a cheerful condition of mind, for unpleasant 
thoughts irritate and disturb the harmonious circulation 
of the nervous forces and prey upon the nervous system, 
while cheerfulness and good temper promote quiet, health- 
ful nervous action. 

The patient also should seek to acquire self-confidence, 
fcr while the lack of it cannot alone cause impediment, 
yet when the stammerer is convinced that he can enunciate 
as distinctly as other people, he will more rapidly over- 



ADVICE FOR SELF-CURE 153 

come the defect by the effects and enthusiastic exertions 
which renewed confidence begets. 

Stammering is one of the most obstinate habits with 
which man has to contend, and it is preposterous to 
suppose that it can be thrown off with the same facility 
with which one might forever discontinue the use of 
coffee. More than this, there is a certain amount of work 
that must be performed by the pupil himself, which, 
unless done, no tutor on earth could successfully serve 
him — one visits one's doctor, but to what would it amount 
if we failed to follow his advice and to take regularly 
such medicine as may have been prescribed? If unwilling 
to faithfully yourself perform your portion of the work, 
you had better not make the effort to be cured. 



ADVICE FOR SELF-CURE. 

I have been a stammerer from my childhood. From 
my earliest recollection, until I was fifty years old, the 
great problem of life was: Why can I always talk when 
I have no one to talk to, and the faculty fail me when 
there is a necessity for using it? 

Physiologists and physicians once speculated much 
upon the subject, but physiology seems to have given up 
in despair. Myself, an educated physician, engaged in 
the practice of medicine, some years of that time occupy- 
ing a position which brought me into familiar association 
with men who stood high in the profession, I have never 
received a suggestion regarding stammering from a phy- 
sician that was of the slightest use to me; I never met 
with a physician who professed to know very much about 
the nature of the difficulty. 

The treatment has been left to unprofessional men, 
from whom I have derived many valuable suggestions 



154 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

that greatly relieved, although they did not remove, the 
difficulty. I learned to read and converse fluently in the 
domestic circle, but in public speaking was always liable 
to be exposed to terrible mortification. 

Groping my way alone and in the dark, late in life I 
discovered two or three physiological principles which I 
think satisfactorily explain the difficulty, and point to a 
mode of treatment easily comprehended and carried into 
effect. My observation has not been very extensive, but I 
think I am justified in saying that stammering can be 
cured as certainly and expeditiously as a broken limb. 

If the parent understood the nature of the difficulty 
child stammering could always be nipped in the bud. 

These, then, are the principles by which we propose to 
explain the cause of stammering, arid to point out a 
rational method of cure: 

i. The muscular motions employed in articulate sound 
are instinctive, involuntary, analogous to the muscular 
motions in laughing and crying. The will can modify, but 
can originate them only indirectly. Stammering is caused 
by the want of energy in that department of the nervous 
system which produces these muscular motions, some- 
times from imperfect development, more frequently from 
impaired health, or from morbid sensibilities. 

2. The air in producing sound is expelled from the 
lungs in a different manner than in breathing. 
In ordinary expiration the diaphragm relaxes, and, by the 
action of the abdominal muscles, is forced up into the 
lower part of the chest. 

In the emission of sound the current of air is kept up 
by the diaphragm contracting upon the elastic extremi- 
ties, and thus by diminishing the cavity of the chest, 
expels the air from the lungs as completely as it can be 
done by its relaxation as in ordinary respiration. 

This is the normal mode of speaking. Persons may 
speak with the diaphragm relaxed; some seem to do so 
habitually, but the voice is feeble and the effort is very 
laborious and tiresome. All clear, forcible and far-reach- 



ADVICE FOR SELF-CURE 155 

ing sound is made with the diaphragm energetically con- 
tracted. Elocutionists and professional singers speak of 
chest sounds and sounds that proceed from the throat. 
To the ear of the physiologist, the distinction appears 
ridiculous. 

The artist, however, understands perfectly that his suc- 
cess depends upon the power to make chest sounds. The 
difference between them arises from the more energetic 
or the more languid action of the diaphragm. One of 
the great objects of the elocutionist and the singer is to 
train this muscle to energetic and persistent action. 

In all the cases of stammering that I have examined 
for twenty years, its action has been very languid, and the 
great difficulty in effecting a cure, so far as it has fallen 
under my observation, consists in the want of power to 
control its action and change the action of breathing to 
that of speaking. When the health is vigorous and the 
spirits are elastic, this can sometimes, not often, be done 
by force of the will. When the health is feeble and the 
spirits are depressed, the will cannot control its action. 
For a very obvious reason, nature has provided that the 
diaphragm acts in concert with every motion of the body 
or of the limbs. We cannot change the position of the 
body, nor raise the hand to the head, but the diaphragm 
springs into action and assumes the position which is 
necessary for the production of sound, and will not relax 
its tension while the body or the arm is kept in vigorous 
exercise. 

It is strange that a principle, the necessity of which is 
so obvious, should have so entirely escaped the inquisitive 
eyes of physiology. Men could not take any active exer- 
cise without fatal injury to the abdominal organs if they 
were not supported by the firm pressure of the diaphragm 
and abdominal muscles. In running, leaping, or hard rid- 
ing, to relax the action of these muscles for a moment 
would be liable to result in fatal injury. Thus we have a 
ready explanation of the instinct which prompts every 



156 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

public speaker to keep the body and the arms in active 
motion. 

It is certainly the work of instinct, and as certainly as 
every effect implies a cause, every instinct points to an 
end to be accomplished. The motion of the body, or of 
the arm, expands the chest, fills the lungs with air, and 
puts every muscle of the chest in the requisite position for 
effective speaking, and keeps it to its work without any 
voluntary effort, with far less fatigue, and much more 
effectively than it could be done by the utmost force of 
the will. 

One or two other principles very familiar, but apt to be 
overlooked, might be mentioned. 

When different sets of muscles are in the habit of act- 
ing together, if you put one in motion, the other will 
follow suit, and if one stops the other will either stop or 
become disordered in its action, just as when one horse 
balks, his mate will either balk or begin to caper. 

Another principle which men are very slow to learn is, 
"bad habits cannot be cured by tapering off; nor can 
good habits be substituted in their place, while the old 
habit is kept by too continual repetition." Common sense 
would very naturally suggest the opinion that a form of 
disease which depends so much upon morbid sensibilities 
is not likely to be cured by any process of secret training. 

One of the great difficulties in the treatment is to get 
the nerve to look the individual with whom we are con- 
versing very steadily in the face. When we can do this 
steadily and without embarrassment, the work is half 
accomplished. If these principles are true, they are cer- 
tainly of sufficient interest in a mere scientific point of 
view, to be recognized as principles of science. 

An educated physician ought to be able to explain the 
action of the most important muscles of the body in the 
exercise of the most important physical faculty which 
God has given to man. 

Great teachers, of whom we have so many of whose 
eloquence and varied learning we so justly boast, ought 



ADVICE FOR SELF-CURE 157 

to be able to give to their pupils a satisfactory account 
of . the physiological principles upon which orators have 
been trained for two thousand years. 

They assume an additional importance if they serve to 
explain and to cure a frequent and very distressing form 
of disease. 

That they are true, does not admit of a doubt. That 
they are not known in this enlightened age, would be 
wonderful, if everything did not combine to impress upon 
us that our age of boasted civilization is only entering 
the temple of science. Perhaps I attach to the subject an 
undue importance. 

Stammering has been to me the great sorrow of a life 
of sorrow, infusing its bitterness into every pleasure and 
aggravating every other sorrow. If my parents had had 
the information which it is now in my power to impart, 
the difficulty at any period of my life might have been 
removed in a month, and, perhaps, I might have been 
saved from a life of perpetual disappointment, mortifica- 
tion and defeat. 

The number of sufferers like myself is, probably, one in 
a thousand for the population of the whole country. 

Of all that I meet, the countenance conveys to my mind 
the impression that they are very familiar with sorrow. 
I would not like to leave the world without giving to my 
fellow-sufferers the benefit of my own experience, and my 
life is so near its close that what I do, must be done 
quickly. The apathy of the public, discourages me. Men 
sympathize slowly with sorrow they have never exper- 
ienced. 

The cure of stammering does not, perhaps, come strictly 
within the province of the physician, still it might be sup- 
posed that professional pride would induce the physician 
to take an interest in a subject so closely connected with 
his professional studies and pursuits. 

A name has great weight in introducing a new theory. 
Everybody will see the difficulty of proposing a cure for a 
disease which has been given up by many upon 



I58 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

principles not generally recognized; and that, too, 
by one whose knowledge of physiological science is very 
superficial. For this reason I am anxious, before publish- 
ing the mode of treatment, to have the principles upon 
which it is based recognized by men who have a pro- 
fessional reputation. 

The investigation of the cause of stammering is at- 
tended with peculiar difficulty. The organs are concealed 
from view so that the spectator can know nothing about 
them. The sufTerer is almost as much in the dark as the 
spectator, from the fact that we are unconscious of the 
action of the organs, and the apparatus by which we 
utter articulate sound is so complicated and the normal 
action of the whole is so dependent upon the normal 
action of every part, that it requires a knowledge of 
physiology more minute than our text books give, to trace 
the cause or to explain it. 

Close observation of many cases of stammering enables 
us to decide upon some facts which may assist us in 
forming an idea of the nature of the difficulty, and lead us 
to a rational mode of cure. When we wish to utter 
sound, we inspire, and the muscles of respiration adjust 
themselves to control the current of air like the flexor and 
extensor muscles in the arm of the boxer adjust them- 
selves, so as to keep the arm perfectly rigid and yet 
perfectly flexible. This action is instinctive, and we are 
so unconscious of it, that it seems not to have attracted 
the attention of physiologists. The vocal cords, which 
during ordinary breathing lie relaxed upon the sides 
of the trachea, affording a free passage for the air, 
suddenly aroused to action become very tense and elastic, 
and presenting a very narrow opening, through which 
the air is forced out in a rapid current, cause the 
sound which forms the basis of articulate speech. This 
action is instinctive also. The sounds of the lower ani- 
mal, like the cries of infancy, are uttered and understood 
by instinct. Instinct prompts the child, like the mocking 
bird, to imitate the sounds it hears, until by years of 



ADVICE FOR SELF-CURE 159 

unconscious training it molds the sounds of infancy into 
articulate language. 

Even so far as the actions of the organs of articulation 
are at first volitional, they become automatic, and take 
place without consciousness. Again, ordinary respiration 
is entirely inadequate to excited conversation or forcible 
declamation, and instinct prompts us in gesture 
to give fullness and energy of breathing, and control over 
the current of air for accent and emphasis. It will thus 
be seen that almost everything connected with speech is 
instinctive. It might almost be said to be educated and 
trained instinct. An orator or an actor may, indeed, 
change the whole character of his voice and expression, 
but he is never perfect, until by training, the changes 
become a second nature, and his thoughts and emotions 
express themselves without consciousness. Volition may 
be brought to bear upon the training, but volition is always 
a disturbing element in delivery. 

It is evident that the organs of breathing, sound, and 
articulation must act together in perfect harmony, and 
that imperfect action on the part of one will derange the 
whole. At some period in early life — generally about the 
time the child is learning to combine words into sentences ; 
sometimes under a high excitement later in life; some- 
times when the vital energies are depressed by disease; an 
impulsive child, excited and anxious to speak, endeavors 
to effect utterance before the vocal cords are keyed up or 
the muscles of respiration are adjusted to control the cur- 
rent of air. Of course there is no sound. He continues the 
effort until the breath is exhausted, makes a hurried, con- 
vulsive inspiration, and repeats the effort. In his distress, 
various spasmodic, convulsive movements of the muscles 
of respiration, articulation and gesture result. By a few 
repetitions of this kind, sometimes by a single effort, the 
individual is spoiled for conversation for life. An impres- 
sion appears to be made upon the mind analogous to those 
idiosyncrasies in which the painful impressions which are 
made upon the mind by some object are ever afterward 



l60 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

renewed by the sight of the object. For instance, a child 
having been terrified by a cat, can never afterward endure 
the sight of a cat. It is difficult to account for the phe- 
nomena of stammering except on some principle like this. 

There is a close analogy between stammering in a child 
and balking in a horse, both in the commencement and in 
the result; and the comparison could be extended into 
minute details of abnormal action resulting from perverted 
instinct. The horseman has studied the instincts of the 
animal and is prepared to meet the case, either to prevent 
the habit from becoming confirmed or to correct it after 
it has been confirmed. Science has been less successful — 
very much, perhaps, from the fact that the training of 
children to talk is left very much to nature; and the idea 
that children can be trained to talk as dogs are trained for 
hunting and horses for the saddle, has scarcely entered the 
American mind. Consequently, when anything abnormal 
occurs, everybody is unprepared for it. The driver at 
once stops the horse, soothes him by caresses and kind 
words, adjusts the harness, lightens the load, gets every- 
thing in the most favorable position, and then, gently ex- 
citing him, seldom fails to induce him to pull. A similar 
process with the child would be as successful in prevent- 
ing the habit from becoming fixed. After the habit is 
formed, of course there is more difficulty; still we have 
abundant resources for curing almost all cases of stam- 
mering. It may be laid down as a general prin- 
ciple that abnormal action which has become fixed by 
habit, may be unfixed and supplanted by normal action, by 
energetic and persevering training, provided the abnormal 
habits are not kept up by frequent repetitions. 

I meet with a case of stammering. On inquiry, I find a 
state of facts something like the following: When he is 
perfectly calm and unexcited, and in good health and 
spirits, he talks with little or no difficulty. Under other 
circumstances he can scarcely articulate, the breathing 
becomes irregular and spasmodic, and he has no control 
over the current of air; the organs of articulation play 



ADVICE FOR SELF-CURE l6l 

spasmodically, and the muscles which key up the vocal 
cords, refuse to act; certain emotions excite the organs 
of sound; others, such as fear and the embarrassment we 
feel in the presence of strangers, suppress them; certain 
bodily states affect him — loss of sleep, distress about the 
stomach or heart, anything which produces languor or 
depresses the vital energies; he speaks with much more 
ease when he gives his voice a slightly musical intonation ; 
when he distinctly marks the rhythm, accent and emphasis, 
when he gives every vowel and consonant a full, distinct 
articulation. The difficulty of utterance shows itself prin- 
cipally on the accented syllables, and this is very much 
obviated by bracing up the muscles of the body and the 
breast and making a slight gesture upon every accented 
syllable; he can talk to himself, but he cannot talk to 
others ; he can read a lesson while learning it, but he can- 
not recite it; he can sing, chant, and read in concert with 
a good reader. Very often the worst cases declaim 
fluently. They speak more easily when they give full 
play to the natural expression of emotion and sentiment. 
The utterance is affected very much by the manners of 
the persons with whom they are conversing. If he is a 
person of courteous, easy address, and a musical voice, 
they "catch his manner/' and talk with ease. With a 
person of arrogant manners and harsh voice they cannot 
talk at all. 

We further remark that stammerers are generally sen- 
sitive and impulsive, that their feelings are intensely 
morbid, and that very often the temper, will and social 
affections are in part demoralized. These facts are 
very suggestive, and from them we infer that the mind 
and the organs of respiration, as well as the organs of 
sound and articulation, are deeply involved, and that no 
treatment can be successful which does not embrace the 
whole; that the habits of abnormal action can be broken 
up only by persistent training, and this on the condition 
that they are not kept alive by frequent repetitions; that 
the training is most likely to be successful which takes 

11 



l62 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

him back to the circumstances under which he learned 
to talk, and brings him, by natural methods, to a natural 
mode of expression; that the success of the treatment 
will greatly depend upon the system of training, that 
no system can be a complete success until it results in 
fixed habits of spontaneous action; lastly, that the morbid 
sensibilities give him a just claim to sympathy, courtesy 
and kindness. 

Some stammerers who have great firmness and self- 
control, can cure themselves. All are much better for a 
trainer, and to most of them it is a necessity. Supposing 
myself to be that trainer: I. My first object is to gain the 
stammerer's confidence and make him feel perfectly at 
ease. I give him to understand that by training I mean 
earnest, persistent work; that with this he will certainly 
succeed, and that without this he will certainly fail. I 
exert myself to inspire him with hope, confidence, per- 
severance and self-control; to speak to him precisely as 
I wish him to speak; and to give him a practical illustra- 
tion of everything I wish him to do. 

Stammerers habitually avert the eye of the person 
with whom they are conversing. I direct him to steadily 
fix his eye upon mine, to brace up the muscles of the limbs 
and of the body, habitually to sit and stand erect, and to 
walk with the erect mien and the firm and measured step 
of the soldier. I show him how, by this tension of the 
muscle we excite the muscles of respiration and keep 
them on the alert, ready for action; and how, while they 
are thus braced up, a slight gesture will instantly fill the 
lungs with air and adjust the muscles of respiration for 
speech. 

2. We then pitch our voices on a musical key, a tone 
or a semitone below the natural key of the voice. Our 
object is to give the voice the habitual musical intonation 
which public speakers cultivate; and we prefer the lower 
key because it results in giving the voice the character 
which elocutionists call the orotund, and does not attract 
observation as a higher key would. We chant a few notes 



ADVICE FOR SELF-CURE 1 63 

in monotone, occasionally rising or falling one or two 
notes, so as to cover the range of the voice in conversa- 
tion, marking the accented note with a gesture. 

3. I show him how to train himself to full, deep 
breathing. Standing erect, with the muscles braced, I raise 
my arm or change the position of the body, and the lungs 
are full of air; we utter the vowels with a full, pro- 
longed sound. I show him how, by gesture, he can give 
the force which is necessary for accent and emphasis. 
We sound the semi-vocals, by which I mean the subdued 
vowel sounds which we hear on the unaccented syllables, 
and hear more distinctly when we prolong the sound of 
the letters I, m, n, r, v, w. These we utter with all possi- 
ble fullness and force. With these we combine the con- 
sonants with a distinct enunciation of the consonant, 
closely observing the position of the organs, with a view 
of forming the habit of putting them accurately in posi- 
tion. We now chant the letters of a word and pronounce 
it with a full, distinct enunciation; then spell it naturally. 
In a few minutes he spells fluently. 

4. We chant over a line in the multiplication table, 
dividing the sentences into metrical feet, and marking the 
accented syllables with a gesture as if beating time; then 
again in a natural manner, but distinctly marking the 
rhythm, accent and emphasis. In a few minutes he 
repeats the whole table without hesitation. We select a 
stanza of poetry, or a passage in prose resembling poetry 
in the rhythm and melody of its style ; divide it into metri- 
cal feet, and first chant it, read it in concert, with a 
marked expression of the rhythm, accent and emphasis, 
and a free, natural expression of the sentiment. He now 
readily sees it by himself. 

In this exercise, which has occupied perhaps an hour, 
he has scarcely shown the slightest hesitation; so that a 
spectator would scarcely suspect that he had any difficulty 
of utterance. He converses with me with very little 
embarrassment, and with my family, provided I am pres- 
ent. We follow up this routine day after day. I do not 



164 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

permit him to speak without impressing upon him, full, 
deep, calm breathing, full sound, distinct articulation, and 
to speak precisely as he feels; if he feels glad, to talk 
glad, or if he feels serious, to talk serious ; and always with 
gesture. With ceaseless vigilance I remind him of every 
departure from the rules, and I practice what I preach. 
For a few days it is necessary to confine his associations 
to a few friends who understand the principle of the treat- 
ment, and who will aid him in carrying them out. As 
he improves in confidence and self-control, I gradually 
increase the circle of his associates, but enjoin great 
caution for a long time, about placing himself in embar- 
rassing circumstances. An hour's excited conversation 
will often neutralize the effects of a week's training, and 
the whole has to be gone over again under great discour- 
agement. 

You can say, when alone, any word or any combina- 
tion of words, and the presumption is that what you can 
say in one place you can learn to say in another. You 
find, however, when you come to speak to another person, 
you become embarrassed, you avoid the eye of the person 
with whom you are conversing, the breathing is hurried 
and irregular, the air rapidly escapes without sound, and 
the chest feels as if it needed bracing up. You probably 
have an excitable, impulsive temperament that is easily 
embarrassed, and at some period of your life have suf- 
fered from some disease which impaired the vital ener- 
gies, and made the body weak and languid. Eager 
to speak, you brought to your aid volition to give you a 
current of air, before the vocal organs were keyed up, and 
of course there was no sound, the lungs were quickly ex- 
hausted of air, and the muscles of respiration and articu- 
lation were thrown into spasmodic action. A few repeti- 
tions of this kind, and these irregular and abnormal actions 
become fixed by habit, and permanently associated with 
the attempt to converse with other people. In attempting 
to account for this, you will bear in mind that nearly all 
the sounds of the lower animals, and many sounds made 



ADVICE FOR SELF-CURE l6$ 

by men, are expressive of wants, emotions, desires, etc., 
and are uttered and understood by instinct. These in- 
stinctive sounds we mold into language by imitation, 
which also is very largely instinctive, so that almost 
everything connected with speech is accomplished by mus- 
cular movements that are independent of volition. For 
ordinary conversation, the ordinary instinctive respiration 
is sufficient, but this is too slow for excited speech, and 
unless we avail ourselves of other methods of increasing 
the rapidity of respiration, we must bring in volition, and 
here, I think, is where stammering begins. Speech is asso- 
ciated with involuntary breathing. Voluntary breathing 
is associated with blowing, whistling, and other move- 
ments of the organs which have no connection with 
articulation. Even the motions that appear to be 
voluntary are prompted by imitation, and thus partake 
of the nature of instinct, and at length, by constant repe- 
tition, become automatic. We wish to speak, the thought 
suggests the word, and the word excites the organs of 
articulation without the direct intervention of the will. 
When I make an abortive effort to speak, the vocal organs 
are not keyed up, nor are the articulating organs placed 
accurately in position, nor do they acquire the tension and 
elasticity which is necessary to give the full consonant 
sound, nor can I get the organs that produce consonant 
sounds in right position except when associated with a 
successful effort to combine a vocal or a sub-vocal sound. 

Bearing in mind the following principles, you will see 
at a glance what you need : 

I. Everything connected with speech is involuntary, 
except the general volition to speak. Stammering comes 
from the fact that the system of nerves through 
which we express the emotions is not waked up; from 
the interference of volition in a process which ought 
to be almost entirely involuntary, the regular process of 
speech is interfered with, and abnormal action of all the 
organs results; and this difficulty is greatly aggravated 



1 66 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

by the fear and embarrassment which accompanies the 
effort to converse. 

2. We breathe in making sound, in a different man- 
ner than in ordinary respiration. In ordinary expira- 
tion the diaphragm relaxes and the abdominal muscles 
expel the air by forcing it up into the chest. In mak- 
ing sound, the diaphragm contracts and expels the air by 
contracting the circumference of the chest. Many persons 
habitually speak with the diaphragm relaxed. I can speak 
in that way when I am perfectly calm and unexcited, but 
I cannot carry on an ^animated conversation without the 
tongue tripping on almost every accented syllable. Physi- 
cians generally will tell you that it is not so, but it cer- 
tainly is necessary to full, clear, far-reaching sound that 
the air be expelled from the lungs by the contraction, and 
not by the relaxation of the diaphragm. 

3. There is a very close connection between the mus- 
cles of respiration and all the movements of the body. 
We cannot forcibly move the arm, nor change the position 
of the body without expanding the chest and bringing the 
diaphragm into that kind of action which we need for 
effective speech; and the diaphragm will not relax while 
these movements and changes of position are kept up. 

4. The muscles concerned in speech are upon the same 
principle very closely associated with each other, viz. : 
the diaphragm and the muscles which key up the organs 
by which the vowel, sub-vocal and consonant sounds are 
made; excite one to action and the others readily follow 
suit. Get the diaphragm into energetic action and place 
the consonant organs forcibly in position, and the vocal 
and sub-vocal will readily key up; or get a vowel or a 
sub-vowel sound, and the consonant organs adjust them- 
selves with perfect order and precision. 

Now, sir, you have a clear idea of what you want: 1. 
Have confidence in yourself. 2. Train the muscles 
concerned in breathing to full, energetic and deep respira- 
tion; throw out the breath forcibly and calmly. 3. 
Calm down the animal and excite the emotional. 4. Get 



ADVICE FOR SELF-CURE 167 

perfect control over the action of the diaphragm. 5. 
Give the voice an habitual musical intonation, giving the 
vowels a full, clear sound, and the consonants the fullest 
intonation that you can possibly utter, taking great pains 
to bring up the voice full and clear upon the final con- 
sonant of a syllable, and not letting the tension relax until 
you catch upon the next syllable. Bring to your aid ges- 
ture, imitation, music, and carry with you a clear concep- 
tion of natural sounds, the hum of the insect, or the wheel, 
or the whistling of the wind. In carrying out these prin- 
ciples, I would recommend the following order: 

1. Firmly grasping the hand so as to make the muscles 
of the arm tense, fix your eye upon the eye of the person 
with whom you are conversing, with a determination 
not to be disconcerted nor embarrassed, and calmly fill the 
lungs as you do in drawing a deep sigh. 

2. Your next object will be to train the muscles of 
respiration to calm, energetic and full action. Standing 
on one foot with the other advanced so that you can 
easily change your position, with the body well thrown 
back, forcibly raise your hand with the muscles all tense. 
The chest is now fully expanded. Bringing your arm 
forcibly down, pronounce monosyllables, giving every 
letter its fullest possible sound, and selecting such words 
as contain a full proportion of sub-vocal sounds, as, braves, 
frames, brine, bounds, grounds, throwing the utmost stress 
of the voice upon the final consonant. 

3. Give your voice a musical intonation by pitching it 
upon the natural key. If you are not a good singer, 
get some one who is to pitch it for you. ( The nat- 
ural voice ranges over an interval of about a fifth — la, si, 
do, re, me. Get this intonation and stick to it with inflex- 
ible resolution, until it becomes natural to you, and until 
you can transfer it to your conversation, running over the 
scale first on double then on triple time — la, la, si, si, do, 
do re, re, me, me; la, la, la si, si, si, do, do, do, re, re, re, 
me, me, me, training the voice, not loudness nor force, but 
fullness of tone, both on the vowel and consonant sounds. 



1 68 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

4. Having trained yourself for some time upon ele- 
mentary principles, select a passage of poetry full of 
emotion, melody and rhythm. First repeat it over as if 
you were singing it to yourself in undertone, marking the 
time forcibly on the accented syllables with the full inton- 
ation — not loud, but full intonation of the vowel and the 
full articulation of the consonants, and gradually change 
this to your natural style of reading, the musical intona- 
tion and the rythmical expression of the poetry. Scan- 
ning it as schoolboys do Latin, you will soon read poetry 
without any difficulty. Then take prose, selecting pieces 
that are written in rythmical style, such as you will find 
in the Psalms. Read a verse of the ninetieth or seventy- 
third Psalm as you read the poetry, dividing it into feet 
with a musical intonation, either standing as before 
directed, or walking and marking the time on the accented 
syllable. 

5. It is very important that you confine your intercourse 
for a few days to a few select persons who understand 
your object, and the principles of cure, who are in thor- 
ough sympathy with you, and who will cooperate with you. 

Recapitulation. — 1. Fix your eye on the person with 
whom you are conversing, bracing up the muscles of 
respiration by bracing up the muscles of the arm. 

2. Train yourself to full, deep and calm breathing. 

3. Train the diaphragm to energetic and persistent 
action, calling in the aid of posture and gesture. 

4. Give a musical intonation to your voice, and give 
the fullest possible intonation to the consonants, marking 
the ryhthm by emphatic gesture. 

5. Persistently drill till all this becomes fixed by habit. 

6. Cultivate cheerfulness, determination, calmness, 
and above all, never be caught off your guard. 



STAMMERING— A LACK OF WILL-POWER 

Stammering — What is it? It is generally termed habit, 
more than that, we may safely call it a complex malady, 
being a mixture of careless habit, ignorance, cowardice, 
and enforced disease at one and the same time. 

In the early stages, stammering is not at all injurious 
to the general health — either relating to body or mind — 
of the victim; it is usually acquired in childhood, ere the 
young mind can realize its direful effects or feel any 
alarm in regard to the results it brings into the future life 
for him. 

At this period we may truly style it habit only. Soon, 
too soon, this happy ignorant state is past, and now, as 
the mind develops, he is conscious of his defect more 
and more each day, until at last the awful fact that he 
is a confirmed stammerer stares him in the face. Deep 
grief and burning shame now fill the place where so short 
a while ago blissful ignorance reigned supreme. 

The trouble grows more intricate; now it is two-fold — 
physical and mental. Now would he gladly arrest the 
habit, but alas ! it is beyond his control, though in its in- 
fancy it could have been arrested with little difficulty. 
Now it assumes to him the enormous proportions of a 
great roaring beast of prey, whch ever stands in the stam- 
merer's pathway ready to devour him ! 

Oh the sorrow of it ! A warm, true heart — torn, bleed- 
ing, broken. A bright life shadowed, darkened, all 
through the thoughtlessness and carelessness of youth. 

That sad "might have been" continually rings in his 



170 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

ears, a daily companion, more gloomy than death, and 
the grave. 

The physical extent of the difficulty is wrong articula- 
tion and improper vocalization acquired in youth, which 
by long practice have become a fixed habit, so tenacious as 
to be looked upon as second nature. The organs of speech 
and respiration, along with the muscles that control them, 
by constant misuse and abuse, daily grow more useless, 
until finally they fall into a state akin to disease, and may 
be so termed for want of a better name. 

After the malady has existed for some time, and has 
grown into a mental form, it is often most painful for 
both, the would-be speaker and the listener. 

The stammerer, ignorant of the cause of the trouble, 
and the proper position for his speaking organs, the 
all-absorbing fear of failure, being stronger than the will 
power, fear enters the mind and takes possession, ere the 
words can be spoken, and when he attempts to speak, his 
little enemy fear whispers exultingly, "failure, failure," 
which upsets the reasoning power, and in his frantic 
efforts to go on with speech, the glottis is spasmodically 
closed, which causes the breath to be suspended, produc- 
ing a chopping, guttural sound, distorted features and 
often attended by the extremely distressing sensation of 
smothering. None can have an idea of the poor stam- 
merer's trials save those who have undergone the same 
experience. 

To all who find it amusing sport to ridicule the un- 
fortunate many, burdened with impeded speech, we say, 
"Go feel what I have felt 
And bear what I have borne." 

The organs of respiration are respectively larynx, 
trachea, bronchia and lungs. The larynx is a small trian- 
gular box in the neck, just below the root of the tongue. 
In front it forms a sort of bony prominence, in males 
more fully developed than in females. This bony prom- 
inence is often called "Adam's Apple," and is the seat of 
voice. 



STAMMERING — A LACK OF WILL-POWER 171 

Below and joining the larynx is the trachea or wind- 
pipe. 

The opening from the throat to the larynx is called the 
glottis, having for a lid, or cover, a cordate shaped part, 
called the epiglottis. This opens while breathing only, 
but involuntarily closes when swallowing is attempted, al- 
lowing food or drink to pass over it into the esophagus, a 
tube that leads from the pharynx to the stomach. 

In the act of swallowing, we sometimes carelessly 
talk or laugh, which results in a tickling sensation and 
in turn compels coughing in order to expel the little in- 
truding particles which have gone — as children term it, 
down the "Sunday throat," in other words, the larynx. 

The vocal cords are situated on each side of the glottis 
and are elastic membranes, projecting from the sides of 
the box to the opening. When not in use they present a 
V-shaped opening through which the air passes to and 
from the lungs. 

In speaking or singing in a high tone or voice, these 
cords are short, tense and close together, opposite tones 
produce opposite positions. 

Lowness and loudness of tones are governed by the 
quantity of air and the great or little force of expulsion. 
Joining the trachea below is the bronchia, which is a part 
of the trachea, and divided into two passages, each lead- 
ing to a lung, one on the right, one on the left side, 
where they terminate in numerous small air cells, and 
lastly terminate in the lungs; the great bellows that keep 
the flame of life brightly burning. 

The lungs are situated in the chest and fill the greater 
part of this cavity, the heart, a small organ, being the 
only other organ that has a place here. The lungs rest 
upon the diaphragm, a muscle of great importance, since 
the respiratory and tone-producing apparatus are chiefly 
governed by its movements. 

To some extent speech is governed by the position and 
action of the lips, teeth, palate and tongue, although the 
latter is not — as many suppose — really necessary for the 



172 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

formation of either sound or speech, as we have read and 
known of persons living, talking and singing without the 
aid of this little member, having been deprived of it in 
some way or born with the deficiency. 

People without tongues cannot sound the letters, t, g, 
(hard), k, q } and d, as these sounds necessitate lifting 
the tip of the tongue to the roof of the mouth. 

It is said that this unruly member — most unjustly 
called — is accountable for all the evil gossip, scandal and 
slander that curses the world. How so? This poor 
abused organ has no more to do with all this than any 
other part that governs speech. Study the position, and 
the office it fills in regard to speech" making. In quiet its 
(natural position is flat in the mouth, the tip just touching 
the lower front teeth. 

Look into a mirror and note the action of the tongue 
while sounding the letters of the alphabet. The vowels 
are all easily made without direct tongue movement. In 
sounding e, the sides of the tongue are slightly elevated. 

In the making of consonants, the positions vary, for 
instance, m and n stop the breath in the mouth and send 
it through the nose; I allows the air to escape at the 
sides of the tongue; r requires only a vibratory move- 
ment of the tongue; s needs the tongue placed near the 
roof of the mouth and the air expelled with a hissing 
sound; p and b stop the breath at the lips; k and g (hard) 
stop the breath at the back of the palate. 

Breath is the foundation of tone, as tone is the founda- 
tion of articulate speech. To possess the latter we must 
first get full control of the former. This is easy enough 
when one knows how, but to the ignorant it is a tedious 
task and requires some practice before success along this 
line is attained; more especially in this true of those who 
have long accustomed themselves to the ill habit of im- 
proper breathing. To get control of the breath, simple 
breathing exercises may be employed with good results. 
In the offstart be impressed with the idea that abdominal 
breathing is of the utmost importance in the matter of 



STAMMERING — A LACK OF WILL-POWER 173 

perfect health as well as in fluent speech, and that mere 
chest breathing alone is a practice for utter condemnation, 
and must never be allowed in any case whatever. 

At first one may find it difficult to inflate the lungs and 
count ten while holding the breath, but after a little prac- 
tice it is an easy matter to count thirty, forty and even 
fifty in this way. A tremulous tone is a warning that the 
breath has been held too long — which act should be avoid- 
ed as it is of more harm than good. Accustom yourself to 
short counts at first; then inhale slowly while you men- 
tally count five, with the muscles of the diaphragm hold 
the breath while counting five ; now count five again while 
exhaling; over and over again many times do this, always 
making sure that the diaphragm is doing its part. When 
this little exercise is mastered, lengthen the time to ten 
counts at each act, inspiration,, pause and expiration. After 
a time it will be found that fifteen is as easy to count as 
five was at first. Time should be increased as the breath- 
ing gets under control. Although this of itself may not 
cure a bad case of stammering, if persistently followed 
up it will bring about results surprising and most wonder- 
ful, both in the matter of bodily health as well as speech. 
One should follow up these simple exercises patiently sev- 
eral times each day, being governed by the feelings as to 
the length of time required in the exercise. Always re- 
member that no exercise should be prolonged to weari- 
ness. 

When a full inspiration is made, the spine is straight- 
ened, head and shoulders thrown well back. The 
diaphragm descends, pressing the walls of the abdomen 
outward; the chest is increased in size and strength. 

In expiring, the operation is reversed. Ordinary calm 
breathing is mainly performed by the action of the dia- 
phragm. 

Some of the many modifications of breath are, sighing, 
a prolonged inspiration and audible expiration, cough- 
ing, a violent involuntary expiration, also sneez- 
ing; but in the former the air is driven through the 



174 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

mouth, while in the latter it is forced through the nose. 
Hiccough is involuntary inspiration. 

Laughing and crying are generally involuntary — except 
in the case of some small children we have seen, where the 
crying may be forcibly termed a direct voluntary act, 
oft repeated — and produced by short, rapid contractions of 
the diaphragm. 

The organs of respiration and speech, the brain, and the 
nervous system are so closely connected that whatever in- 
jures one is found to be harmful to all. This fact is of 
vital importance to the stammerer, since right here his 
chief trouble has its existence. The nervous system com- 
prises the nerves, the spinal cord and the brain. 

The nerves, not unlike telegraph wires, are so arranged 
as not only to connect various organs of the body, but at 
the same time they act as agents of sensation, thought, 
volition and emotion. The mind and body are so insepara- 
bly connected by them that there is not an inch of bodily 
tissue that is not filled with their intricate, delicate num- 
bers, both afferent and efferent. 

The brain, a complex organ, is the center of mind, of con- 
science, feeling and intelligent thought. It is egg or oval 
in shape, and consists of three parts, the cerebrum, cere- 
bellum and medulla oblongata. Average weight is about 
fifty ounces. The cerebrum fills the front and upper- 
chief trouble has its existence. The nervous system com- 
prises the nerves, the spinal cord and the brain. 

In appearance it is much like an English walnut, being 
curiously wrinkled and folded in many convolutions, which 
peculiarity does not show in early life, however, but in- 
creases with the growth of the mind. The greater their 
number and depth, the higher the mental power. 

The cerebellum is just below the cerebrum in the back 
of the head and is sometimes called "Arbor Vitea; the 
tree of life," because of the beauty of its construction. 
This part of the brain controls the voluntary muscles and 
those that govern speech. 

The medulla oblongata is between the spine below and 



STAMMERING — A LACK OF WILL-POWER 175 

the brain proper above, and is fitly named the "vital knot" 
owing to its tenacity to life. It is said that the brain 
above may be removed and the spinal cord be injured, but 
the heart and lungs will continue to perform their offices 
until the oblongata is entirely destroyed. The whole brain 
is largely composed of nervous matter. 

In the brain the desires originate, which are conveyed 
by a motory nerve to the particular muscle designated to 
execute the desire. For instance, we desire to speak, the 
wish is carried by a motory or afferent nerve to the mus- 
cles that control the speaking organs, but in the case of 
stammerers, ere speech is affected, thought being much 
faster than action — a returning sensory or efferent nerve 
carries to the brain a message of fear, and thus it hap- 
pens that confusion of words and actions ensue. 

From these facts we understand that all the nerves, 
directly or indirectly, communicate with the brain. It is 
very easy to see why stammering, by daily shocking the 
nerves, unduly excites the nervous system so dele- 
terous to mental and bodily well-being. Stimulants in any 
form tend to aggravate the nervous system, more or less, 
and for this reason their use should be strictly avoided 
by all, and more especially by the stammerer, with the 
irritable, high-strung temperament, whose only hope of 
future speech lies in his power of self-control, steady 
nerves and inflexible will-power. Any now using such 
stimulants, as opium, wines, liquors, tobacco, coffee and 
tea, be persuaded to abandon their use to-day, and in ex- 
change for this, your indispensable duty, receive a cool, 
calm temperament that nothing will excite. 

Cultivate will-power with tireless energy, for this is 
the foundation of success in everything, for everybody, 
and the stammerer must have it or live out his life a 
failure. What is will? The innate, unseen power in the 
mind of every individual, the strength of which is recog- 
nized by determination, decision, perseverance, ambition 
and authority. How can we get it? 

Some one has said, "Nearly all stammerers lack will- 



176 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

power." We may go still farther and say truly, all, who 
continue the habit, lack the desirable possession of will; 
this being the case is the reason that so few have suc- 
ceeded in life, and there are such great numbers of suf- 
ferers throughout the land. 

Considering its long time existence, the inexpressible 
pain it entails, and the many really intelligent persons 
afflicted, it is truly astonishing to see and feel the little 
known of the organs of speech, and little practically done 
for the removal of this annoying malady. 

Learned writers on physiology, although understanding 
the structure of the human body, likewise the ills that 
afflict mankind, have very little to say about stammering. 

Men of science and learning leave the afflicted to fight 
their battles alone, it seems. Persons suffering from 
this trouble are, as a rule, so extremely sensitive 
in regard to their affliction, that they strictly avoid 
alluding to it in any way, which effectually prevents any 
but the closest observers from knowing the real, miserable 
condition of the mind, or the great tenacity of the habit 
which make their lives nearly unbearable. It is not at 
all strange that many are laughed at as victims 
of mere habit, which habit ought to be left off in the same 
manner that some men are said to leave off the sinful 
habits of swearing, drinking, etc. These people will tell 
you in confidence that "one is as easy as the other." 

The want of confidence that exists between the stam- 
merer and the world, in a measure, accounts for the little 
attention bestowed on the subject by the general public 
and by our government. 

These many years have we groped in utter darkness, and 
alone; but soon we hope to see a change^for our improve- 
ment. It would seem that the public opinion inclines to the 
belief that defective speech is a more serious drawback 
to those burdened with such than was once generally sup- 
posed. 

It is to be hoped this misunderstood and peculiar class 
of unfortunates may live to see the day, perhaps not far 



STAMMERING A LACK OF WILL-POWER I77 

distant, when even they may share the generous, consid- 
erate attention which is so lavishly given the deaf, the 
dumb, the blind, the orphans and the aged, and many 
others of like nature, now supported by charitable public 
institutions everywhere. 

While we patiently await the coming of this happy 
time, let us use the golden now, "the accepted time," 
for our own improvement so far as we are able. In 
the first place let us, or as many of us as possible, per- 
sonally see to it that these defects are successfully treated 
and removed. To do this, some may be compelled to 
make sacrifices in more ways than one in order to obtain 
the means for the purpose. 

The outlay for the undertaking need not necessarily be 
large. Do not hesitate, nor allow the matter of dollars 
and cents to longer stand between you and the fondly 
cherished hopes of a life-time. 

After we have done our best (and no one can do more 
than that) and still find ourselves financially crippled and 
unable to take the desired course, let us then do the next 
best thing, that is, go to work with the view of honestly 
earning the sum lacking, employing the talents which the 
Father in His infinite love and wisdom so lavishly be- 
stowed upon us as a birthright. 

In the meantime, we must diligently study the matter of 
speech, that we may come to understand its many 
peculiarities, and be able to arrive at some practical method 
which we may use as a means for our own improvement, 
or self-culture. 

Right here I wish to call attention to a few of the mani- 
fold oddities of the stammerer, in so far as I am able 
will give reasons for some of them. For instance, one is 
engaged in a deep study and aware of your presence, 
you speak to him softly, he answers readily, without 
hesitation, in an absent manner. 

Again, you ask a careless question, implying by your 
manner that ycu do not expect nor desire a n answer; to 
this he quickly and easily replies, also. 
12 



178 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

Now, look straight at him and pointedly interrogate him. 
See, when it becomes necessary for him to speak, how he 
is thrown into confusion. 

Again, ask a question without seeming to notice him; 
as readily he answers without hesitation. Look at him 
and repeat the question ; now he is unable to reply without 
his usual trouble. In the first cases he spoke in an ab- 
stract manner, ere the thought of fear could enter the 
mind; in the last, you leave no loophole for his escape; 
his confusion excites mental emotion and fear or failure 
precedes speech. 

Now, if he stops to consider the reply a moment before 
delivery, he is able to put the will in force and can speak 
with ease; but there is the trouble. Stammerers are, as 
a rule, too impetuous, impulsive, or inconsiderate. Of all 
that I know, none differ greatly in this respect. 

In the continuance of the subject, let us remember that 
our. infirmity partakes as much of the imaginary as of the 
reality; pursuade ourselves that it is not so bad as 
some others, and might easily be worse. Moreover, it is 
entirely owing to our lack of will-power that we are so 
involved. 

Lay down a few simple rules, but compel yourself to 
rigidly adhere to them; certain hours for walking, riding, 
reading, rising and retiring. Stammering indulged in the 
largest part of a lifetime, cannot, like a discarded garment, 
be dropped at will, but reason teaches us to understand it 
as a matter to be educated away, as it were. We must 
commence with the intention of going hand-in-hand with 
the twin sisters, patience and perseverance, or else all our 
attempts will prove of little or no use. 

The habit cannot be overcome by any number of mus- 
cular movements alone; nor by the addition of vocal or 
other exercises; but these, combined with strict re- 
gards to the rules of health, a determined will and a lot of 
patience, will, if persisted in, bring about a lasting cure. 

Be patient, be persistent, and you will never need to be 
confronted with failure and disappointment. To those 



STAMMERING A LACK OF WILL-POWER I79 

lacking these fine qualities, a teacher is indispensable. He 
understands the disease perfectly and undertakes a cure 
with the full determination to effect it at all hazards. He 
fulfills his part of the contract, and compels the pupils to 
fulfill theirs. At the school nothing is present to divert 
the attention from the course of action assigned each. 
With nothing in the way, this entire time for study, a 
good teacher always near to guide, who has your welfare 
at heart, it would seem that nothing short of a miracle 
would prevent one from a permanent cure. 

Every one cannot have the advantage of the school for 
various reasons. These persons should try what they can 
do for themselves, and to such I direct this article. Or 
others, who at present find it impossible to attend the in- 
stitute, may find a means by which to arrest and better the 
difficulty until the time arrives, when by a teacher's aid 
the stammering is wholly done away with. 

To build a substantial cure, first we must have a firm 
foundation. This is found in perfect health, and this is 
attained by a few simple rules, which must be duly re- 
garded. 

Direction for easy breathing exercises should be care- 
fully studied. By these one may readily master the art of 
correct breathing, an essential to health. 

Another necessity is pure air and plenty of it for 
respiration. Too much importance can hardly be attached 
to this matter. A good portion of each day spent in the 
open air will do more for health in the way of building 
up tissue and strength than all the tonics, pills and plas- 
ters ever put upon the market . Go out doors and 
swallow copious doses of pure air, nature's great elixir of 
life and God's best gift to man, so lavish and so free. 

Air we must have every minute. Just think of that. 
The fact that we cannot live without it a minute is over- 
whelming, to say the least of it. Other needs may be put 
off at will, but air must come every minute, or death 
claims us. This is positive proof that pure air is neces- 



l80 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

sary to health, and may justly be termed the essential of 
life. 

There is more of the life-giving and sustaining proper- 
ties in pure air than in all the other life-sustaining ele- 
ments combined. It stands to reason that all exercises 
when performed in the outdoor air must be doubly benefi- 
cial. For this reason one should spend as much time as 
possible in outdoor exercises, games, walking, riding and 
other pursuits that demand muscular action, being both 
pleasurable and profitable. All tend to develop the mus- 
cular and nervous systems, thereby acting as a soothing 
balm to those persons possessing high-strung nervous 
temperaments. 

One good authority says, "One hour's exercise in the 
pure air is worth more than a week spent capering around 
in a gymnasium." By this we do not wish it understood 
that we condemn the gymnasium at all; on the contrary, 
we certainly believe it next in value to the open air for 
exercise, and to those who are denied the former, the 
latter is invaluable. 

No exercise is superior to walking. Walking brings 
nearly all the muscles into action at once, and undue strain 
is put on none, besides long walks must carry one into the 
open air; another advantage. We should practice walking 
every day. When starting on a walk, get the figure in an 
erect position, with the toes pointing a little outward; 
now start in a moderate gait. One should be able to walk 
several miles without feeling much fatigue. 

Muscular development and self-control at the same time 
may be gotton by the simple exercise of ball tossing. Pro- 
cure two balls, such as children delight in ; take a standing 
position, a rubber ball in each hand; with the right hand 
toss up the ball ten feet and catch it as it descends. Now 
toss the ball with the left in the same way, then one and 
the other alternately; then both at once. Always catch 
the ball by the hand that tossed it. This seems mere 
child's play in its simplicity, but for all that it is very 
amusing, and a really good rainy day exercise. 



STAMMERING A LACK OF WILL-POWER l8l 

Perhaps to pure air, pure water is next in value. Too 
much can hardly be used, either for drinking or bathing 
purposes. We never knew of any perishing from the 
proper use of water. Drink it plentifully, hot or cold, be- 
fore breakfast and after supper, at all hours and at all 
places, and take a bath not less than twice a week in 
winter and every day in summer. Warm or cold water 
may be used, as preferred by the bather. 

In a few words regarding dress, let us suggest that the 
entire weight of all the garments be suspended from the 
shoulders, and that all articles of wearing apparel that tend 
to restrict free circulation and all movements of both body 
and limbs be strictly abandoned, and loose, comfortable 
clothing worn instead. 

Fondness for any dish should never induce one to par- 
take of it sufficiently to injure the health, but find what 
diet is best, and eat only that. Any sensible person knows 
what he can best eat ; then such food only should be taken, 
and only when the system needs it. Over-eating is not 
only sinful, but is fatal to life. As many people die from 
this practice as from disease. 

Inveterate stammerers experience no difficulty in pro- 
nouncing the words of a song, while singing. The reason 
for this is simply that the words follow one another in a 
rhymic order. If we follow this principle in common con- 
versation, we must find ourselves talking better. We could 
not advise one to sing his words, though even that it seems 
would be preferable to some forms of speech impediments 
we have known; but rather speak in a slow manner, 
as schoolboys sometimes do in reciting. At any 
rate, practice this awhile along with the other exercises in 
question. 

Strive to speak always in an even, measured voice, con- 
stantly keeping the mind on the manner of delivery and 
off the words being uttered. This way of speaking called 
rhythmic or measured-speaking is not recommended 
for daily speech but serves well for practice. Any- 
thing that serves to center the thought on the way of 



l82 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

speaking, that can draw it away from the words, will, if 
followed up closely, help in talking, more than it seems 
possible, and some cases may be cured by this practice. 

Try this before you condemn it. Read aloud to yourself 
or to an audience, as preferred, every day, an hour or 
longer, using the measured tone just spoken of, and at 
the sound of each word pay careful attention to rhythm. 
In articulating each word after the manner suggested keep 
your mind fixed on the manner of utterance; be careful 
to note that the breathing is correct. 

Always speak on nearly a full breath, while exhaling 
and so govern the breath by the muscles of the diaphragm 
as to pronounce slowly as many words as possible while 
the breath is passing. Do not carry this act far enough to 
render the last words inaudible for want of breath, but be 
sure that the last word is uttered in as loud a tone as those 
preceding it. 

When rightly done, singing is another good vocal exer- 
cise. Govern the voice as in speaking and the result wilf 
be the same. 

Before speaking, singing or reading, inspire slowly and 
deeply nearly a full breath, then by the action of the ab- 
dominal muscles make utterance on a long, noiseless ex- 
piration. Practice these exercises many times a day. It 
will in no wise interfere with other duties, and can be done 
without drawing attention to yourself. Two points in your 
favor, moreover, it is harmless and its value is not limited. 

When inspiring, keep the lips closed. Nature decreed 
breathing through the nostrils, and for the purpose this 
part is fitly prepared for its office, having a natural filter 
composed of hairs, which project across the opening, 
effectually preventing the entrance of foreign bodies, such 
as small insects, dust and other floating matter. 

Tone depends largely on the shape and size of the mouth 
cavity. Some stammerers, to hide their defect, keep the 
mouth nearly closed when speaking, which causes a mum- 
bling and indistinct sound. For ordinary conversation, the 



STAMMERERS AND STAMMERING 183 

lips should be open to the extent that a small straw is 
easily inserted between the teeth. The teeth should never 
touch. When uttering sounds, do not allow the tongue to 
fall backward, for this will partially close the glottis, ob- 
structing the current of air in the voice box, resulting in a 
muffled sound. For a clear, melodious tone, keep the glot- 
tis open, the jaws and lips apart and the tongue in its 
proper place. 

The stammerer generally talks with a relaxed dia- 
phragm, which gives little sound; for want of breath he 
gasps and tries spasmodically to continue speech. In his 
ignorance he imagines his tongue to be at fault, and on 
this belief tries to compel it to do its part, and so it over- 
does the part assigned it. 

In conclusion, I earnestly beg you, my afflicted friends, 
to accept for your welfare this rule : In everything you do 
have a good purpose in view ; let the breathing of air, the 
drinking of water and the taking of food, as well as time 
for rest and recreation, all be for the purpose of bringing 
into your lives good will toward men, health, happiness 
and prosperity. 



STAMMERERS AND STAMMERING 

Incidentally, in a conversation recently, a Methodist 
minister of English birth related to me some of his ex- 
periences with the letter h. A professor at the college 
which he attended in pursuance of his elementary studies, 
was also a Briton, but had Americanized his speech by 
educational methods. At one of the classes, this minister 
was called upon to read the passage of scripture, "He 
that hath ears to hear, let him hear." He read it, " 'E 
that 'ath hears to 'ear, let 'im 'ear." "Ah," said the pro- 
fessor from Britain, addressing the ministerial student, 
"you have the same trouble that I had; this legacy has 
been handed down to us through generations, and now 



184 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

what has been thoughtlessly given to us by our fathers 
must be eradicated through hard labor and close atten- 
tion." 

Stammering is often transmitted in the same way ; it has 
been thoughtlessly handed down to many of us by our 
fathers and must now be eradicated through hard labor 
and close attention. Stammering thus developed is 
more stubborn than when simply acquired, because 
it is then a part of one. It is like dismembering the body 
to try and dismantle it. In the latter case, the elimination 
of it is like the mere removal of a garment, except as it 
gains strength by long continuance. 

Stammering may lie dormant in one's system and never 
be awakened but for a sickness, a fright, or an imitation. 
Then, again, a sickness, a fight or an imitation may pro- 
duce a derangement in the organism of speech which will 
manifest itself in stammering. In the former case the 
disorder is more stubborn than in the latter case for the 
same reasons quoted above. 

Imitation is a very fruitful immediate cause of stam- 
mering. Even if one inherits the tendency to stammer, 
this tendency may never come to maturity if one is 
guarded from all suggestion of stammering and kindly 
influenced to avoid any imitation of it. But when one's 
weakness is in his speech, particular attention must be 
paid to the strengthening of the organism of speech in 
its natural functions, that, by external or physical ap- 
plication, an internal or mental reaction may take place 
which will forever overcome the once natural tendency. 

Stammering begets stammering, not only in the one 
afflicted but in others through association and the imita- 
tion above mentioned. It is easy for a person who stam- 
mers a little to stammer more, — far easier than for a 
person who has never stammered at all to stammer a 
little. But when once the disorder has made the least in- 
road and is let alone it will be almost sure to go from 
bad to worse, especially if there be any inherited tendency 
to stammer. 



STAMMERERS AND STAMMERING 185 

What a boon it would be if all stammering were elim- 
inated ! If such a circumstance were to be brought about, 
the tendency to stammer would soon die out, and, in 
order to produce the habit, one must then make an effort. 
But, in the light of the past, it is probable that the 
present advancement of civilization would lay the hand 
of restraint upon such erring children in such a way as 
to make a lasting impression upon their minds, rousing in 
them a positive desire for self-improvement. 

A stammerer should be very careful not to exhibit his 
defect in the presence of children. Children are very ob- 
servant and the least irregularity in speech is noticeable 
to them; and if they are fond of a person they are very 
apt to imitate him, and so the stammerer, out of a kind 
and loving heart, may ignorantly cast a dark cloud over 
a child's future life. Some stammerers do not stammer 
while playing with children — they do not feel embarrassed 
except in the presence of critics, and the resulting relaxa- 
tion eases the mind and makes natural articulation possi- 
ble. If such a person watches himself on these occasions, 
he may be able to discover a cure for himself, or at least 
a method which, if pursued, would set his mind at ease. 

Sickness, fright, or a deep sorrow, while sometimes the 
cause of stammering, may be classed among those things 
that provoke or irritate the stammerer in his affliction. A 
stammerer whose speech is quite fluent as a rule may 
speak with varying degrees of difficulty during an attack 
of ill-health, while others may experience great difficulty 
in speaking during a fright, an excitement or a sorrow. 



PHYSICAL AND MENTAL EFFECTS OF THE CONTINUANCE OF 

STAMMERING 

Have you ever stammered? If not, how much do you 
think you know about it? How much of the dread, the 
gloomy forebodings, the sense of inferiority and defeat, 
and the knowledge of the lack of an important avenue 



1 86 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

to pleasure and success, do you think you can realize? 
Have you ever tried to engineer around a sentence? 
Stammerers have more than once. A stammerer some- 
times starts a sentence and finds that he cannot finish it 
as he started it on account of one or more difficult words 
for him in it; he then has to use his ingenuity at sub- 
stituting synonyms to express the same thought, or 
abandons the thought entirely and either stops or switches 
on to another thought. His conversation is thus discon- 
nected and uninteresting from an intellectual standpoint, 
and he is regarded as "peculiar." 

It is often the case that a stammerer is untruthful in 
little things on account of his disability. For instance: 
A boy's father expects him to gather the eggs every 
evening and record the number in a book. Some of the 
hens are Plymouth Rocks and some Leghorns, and the 
father is accustomed to ask the boy how many Plymouth 
Rock eggs there were each evening. The boy is a stam- 
merer and the father is stern and the boy dreads this 
daily answering of the father's question long before it is 
asked, and gets himself worked up into such a state of 
mind that he can hardly make an audible sound. When 
the father asks the question the boy is apt to answer any 
number in the immediate neighborhood of the right one. 

This habit of merely approximating the truth, sometimes 
leads to carelessness in other things and the friends of 
the stammerer soon find him drifting into neglect and 
indolence — but instead of laying the cause of the neglect 
and indolence to stammering, they reverse the order and 
lay the cause of stammering to neglect and indolence, 
whereas, if the stammering were removed, the other would 
pass away. How many times is this the case? It is dis- 
tressing to think about it ! How the stammerer is handi- 
capped by not being understood, but, thanks to the Father, 
this dark cloud overshadowing the truth is gradually 
lifting and the stammerer's emancipation is drawing nigh ! 

Diffidence and indiscretion are noticeable in stammerers, 
sometimes one, sometimes the other, sometimes both. The 



STAMMERERS AND STAMMERING 187 

stammerer is diffident because of the natural shrinking 
from publicity on account of the knowledge of his defi- 
ciency. Being defective in speech, he seldom takes the 
initiative in that line, and he soon finds himself taking a 
back seat in other lines and letting others act who are 
less qualified than himself. He does not stand up for 
himself for fear of being unable to hold his own, and 
so he is walked over and his diffidence is augmented. 
He is indiscreet through the fact that he cannot always 
say what he wants to say, and, by substitution, the original 
idea is not always exactly expressed. This substitution 
if not carried on studiously, has a dwarfing effect on the 
mind, and the stammerer is cognizant of the fact that 
his speech is not at all in harmony with his thoughts. 
This produces a more or less distraction of mind which 
manifests itself at times in indiscretion. The stammerer, 
therefore, is regarded as being somewhat unbalanced and 
irresolute; but remove the stammering and these traits 
will soon pass away. All stammerers are not indiscreet, 
but the trait varies with the character of the stammerer 
and the characteristics of his affliction. 

Have you ever noticed a stammerer's physique? Ask 
him how much he weighs and you are surprised — you 
thought he weighed more. He may be in health — his 
organs may all be sound — but his condition is the same as 
if he were overtaxed — his system is not far from border- 
ing on fatigue even though his endurance at times may 
be great. There seems to be something which prevents 
the storing up of physical energy; this something is the 
condition of the mind. He is in a state of constant dread, 
and the harrowing result prevents thrifty action in the 
organic functions. This physical condition, of course, 
varies with each case of stammering and with the serious- 
ness with which the stammerer regards his case. Some 
stammerers are more concerned about a light case than 
others are about a more severe one. 



1 88 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

DIFFICULTIES IN A STAMMERER'S CAREER 

Stammerers are found in all walks of life, and whatever 
may be the calling, if young men or women are attracted 
by it, some stammerers will be among those attracted. 
Stammerers possess talent and ability in varying degrees, 
being in this respect equal to the average, and there is, or 
has been, in each one of them a desire for achievement 
and success, this being a prominent mark of young blood 
everywhere. I think it is not amiss to say that on account 
of the nervous temperament of stammerers, they, as a rule, 
aim high. By reason of this, failures are very depressing 
and disappointing to them. But their high aim some- 
times partakes of the characteristics of fancy because they 
have not the means at hand wherewith to build a bridge 
over which they might pass to their wanted goal. This 
short-handedness, in a large measure, is due to lack of 
confidence, and, by dwelling upon an unattainable end — > 
unattainable because of the lack of confidence in one's 
ability to master — the afflicted one is liable to become 
dreamy and impracticable, which traits are disastrous to 
the business of the present day. Here lies one difficulty 
in the stammerer's career — the unfortunate, as shown, is 
prone to the visionary. 

In business, a man is valuable for what he can accom- 
plish — his ability is measured by the result of his efforts. 
A man of resolution and strength is respected by his fel- 
lows and is enabled, by the esteem with which he is held 
by others, to bring things to pass. Talking, plays an im- 
portant part in winning the respect and esteem of strang- 
ers, hence, the man in an active business pursuit must 
possess speech fluent enough to charm, as it were, those 
with whom he deals. This age of mental telepathy and 
the dominance of one personality over others by reason of 
superior strength, calls for a high development of the 
faculties, mental and physical. In this the stammerer 
falls short; — he is deficient in one important business 
faculty, and his whole self, together with his abilities, is 



STAMMERERS AND STAMMERING 189 

measured by this one failing. Business men do not want 
him, normal self-esteem leaves him, and the strength of 
his personality ebbs low. He is then unfit to cope with 
the rush of business and falls behind and out. We see 
here another difficulty in the stammerer's career. Small 
active business ability by reason of a partial lack of 
business persuasiveness. 

The stammerer is, in a measure, debarred from social 
life because of his impediment. This reacts against both 
his prosperity and happiness ; — against prosperity because, 
in some walks of life and somewhat in all walks of life, 
business is linked with social standing; and against his 
happiness because, where one is kept painfully aware of 
his invalidity, happiness is marred. 

To be ostracized from social life alone is a great trial, 
but the stammerer must patiently bear this trial. The 
ostracism may not be complete in every case, but it is 
always partial and produces a more or less keen sense of 
regret on the part of the stammerer. 

What a life of discipline the stammerer lives ! His 
affliction teaches him the lesson of humility, meekness, 
patient forbearance, hope, peace and joy amid sorrow, vir- 
tue in privation, sympathy, and usually morality, — and if 
he succeeds in conquering his defect, faith, value of 
determination and an indomitable will (which is the key 
of success), the needs of his fellows, and the mastery of 
himself. Let stammerers, therefore, take heart; do not 
despair — "It is an ill wind that blows nobody good;" our 
affliction may simply be a school where we are being 
trained for a future great mission; at any rate, hold on — 
success only comes to those who make continual practical 
application of a real and definite knowledge. 

CONDITIONS UPON WHICH A CURE DEPENDS 

Conditions which favor a cure cannot always be dis- 
cerned in every case by one who has not made a study of 
stammering. Something that may irritate one stammerer 



190 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

may be unnoticed by another; one stammerer may be 
able to speak before a large audience with ease, while 
another, if placed in the same circumstances, would almost 
be thrown into spasms ; one stammerer may be able to 
speak fluently when he speaks fast and determinately, 
while another must speak slowly and quietly if at all; one 
stammerer may be able to read fluently, but experience 
difficulty in conversation, while with another the reverse 
may be true. Each case is a little different from any 
other, and so it would seem that it is impossible to make 
general laws, the performance of which would be beneficial 
to all stammerers. But, as individual health is dependent 
upon conditions peculiar to each individual, and, as a 
common source will be found from which all these con- 
ditions spring, if they are traced back indefinitely, so there 
are common conditions which apply to all cases of stam- 
mering, and laws, which, if followed, will give beneficial 
results in each individual case. 

The physical health of the stammerer is very impor- 
tant. When a house is disarranged the housekeeper is not 
satisfied and is sometimes irritated; when the body is 
disordered, the mind is not enjoying the same ease which 
it would if it were unconscious of the body ; a fundamental 
condition to the highest success is, therefore, perfect 
physical health, and the nearer one comes to this, the 
greater will be his capacity for development in other 
lines. 

A diagram of a machine, a cotton loom, for instance, 
may be made on paper. The object of the loom is to 
make cloth, but the drawing of it, although conveying the 
idea perfectly, cannot make the cloth, — that must be done 
by the machine when it is completed. If, when the ma- 
chine is made, it is found that the bobbins cannot be shot 
with sufficient force to carry them across the loom be- 
tween the threads, the accomplishment of the end for 
which the machine was built, is thwarted, and the idea 
fails of expression because of an incomplete mechanism, 
— a weak spring, possibly. And so the purpose of an 



STAMMERERS AND STAMMERING I9I 

individual, however worthy, may be thwarted by some 
little failure in his physical organism, — a weak spring 
somewhere. An ideal alone cannot accomplish the result, 
— it must be applied — put into activity through mechanical 
means. 

The first and foremost among the things which a stam- 
merer must, therefore, heed, is physical health, which is 
dependent upon proper and regular nutrition, exercise 
and rest. A violation of the laws governing any of these 
will affect the health correspondingly. 

Then the mind-phase of the difficulty must be given 
requisite attention. The condition of the mind bears a 
relation to the condition of the body, for the activity of 
the mind is maintained by a physical organism, the brain; 
whatever promotes the physical well-being, lays a foun- 
dation for mental advancement. 

All eccentricities must be avoided by the stammerer; 
he must keep an even temper and have a clear conscience, 
— a ruffled conscience disturbs that peace of mind which 
a stammerer must possess that his speech may appear to 
the best advantage; hence, the stammerer must be moral. 

The stammerer cannot always choose his environments, 
but, as far as possible, the surroundings should be con- 
ducive to peace and quietness, with a steady and unpre- 
tentious trend toward bringing him to a full and complete 
appreciation of his condition, and a cure of the impedi- 
ment. Stammerers must not be allowed to relax, neither 
must they be held at a nervous tension, but they should 
be taught to go about everything in a quiet, undaunted, 
matter-of-fact way, striking at the root of all questions 
which come before them, and solving all problems by in- 
ductive thought. In this way the mental capacity will 
be enlarged, the stammerer will acquire the faculty of 
observation and logical reasoning, and his mind will be 
directed from the lamenting of his condition to the im- 
proving of it and to the fitting of himself for further 
usefulness to his fellowmen. 

The task before the stammerer is great — the environ- 



192 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

ment of an institution may be necessary to effect com- 
plete relief — but it is not impossible, and when once the 
stammerer has mastered himself, he has so strengthened 
his will and enlarged his faculty of determination and his 
perception of success, that he is in a position to better ap- 
preciate the conditions around him, and to apply means 
for the successful manipulation of the same for the ac- 
complishment of desired results. 

OPPORTUNITIES FOR A CURED STAMMERER 

What are some of the virtues and elements of success 
that a stammerer does not possess? Among others, self- 
confidence, self-control, determination, strong will-power. 
Without these the afflicted one will remain a stammerer; 
with them, stammering must soon retire. A cured stam- 
merer has overcome a state of being which is sustained 
by the lack of these virtues; he is now in possession of 
them. The degree to which the cured stammerer possesses 
these virtues depends upon the characteristics and the 
severity of the case of stammering from which he has 
been cured. The greater the trial overcome, the greater 
the success, and the more lasting and beneficial the re- 
sults. 

One who has never stammered at all may not possess 
these virtues, because he has never had material need of 
them, but the cured stammerer has been disciplined, tried 
as by fire as it were, and is in possession of them in 
degrees, as stated above, varying with the severity of 
the case cured and the character of the individual; he 
appreciates the value of the various elements of success 
and the proper use of them for Ihe attainment of desired 
ends; his character has been advanced, and his morality, 
taking cured stammerers as a class, is above the average; 
his physical and mental health are good, these being, 
in a degree, necessary conditions for a cure. 

The stammerer's life of conflict and the true character 
of his affliction are little appreciated by the public in gen- 



STAMMERERS AND STAMMERING 193 

eral, and of the stammerer himself and his association 
still less is cared; but he is one in our midst, and civiliza- 
tion cannot progress and his cause be ignored. 

He is a sufferer. Civilization advances in the wake of 
enlightenment, which is the result of the recognition of 
truth as it is revealed; to deliberately ignore that which 
calls for recognition is not only stagnation but retrogres- 
sion; therefore, the stammerer's cause must be investi- 
gated, its merits determined, and the sufferer given the 
sympathy, respect, and benefit which are shown to be his 
due by such investigation of progress. 

The stammerer is looked upon as one who has not the 
will power and determination to succeed or else one who 
has been sadly neglected. Either one or the other of these 
is usually true, for, though he may have the determina- 
tion, yet if, through ignorance either on his own part or 
on the part of someone else, that determination is mis- 
directed, failure ensues — the result of negligence some- 
where. But, if determination is coupled with a clear con- 
ception and positive knowledge of what ought to be done, 
success ensues and the stammerer is relieved of his im- 
pediment by perseverance in the practical application of 
his knowledge. 

The stammerer's life is lonely. It is possible to be alone 
in a crowd. When one is alone by himself, the very 
quietude and non-interruption 'nvite meditation, delibera- 
tion and reflection, and such activity of the mind keeps 
one company, — to feel alone in a crowd is pensive — to feel 
or know that you are deficient in the one faculty which 
is necessary to agreeable association and which, if judi- 
ciously exercised, opens many avenues to pleasure and 
success in life — to feel that you are deficient in this and 
thus inferior to your fellows — is depressing to the mind 
and trying to the body. 

This sense of loneliness seldom leaves the stammerer 
who appreciates his affliction. He wants to be affable, 
but in the attempt, as in the majority of his efforts in- 
volving speech, "he puts his foot in his mouth." Thus 

13 



194 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

being continually baffled, his humiliation is augmented and 
his oft-recurring wish "to sink through the floor" engages 
his mind; being unable to do this, he feels conspicuous, 
and is certain that his conduct is being particularly noted. 
The accompanying embarrassment in no way lends him 
assistance, and his conflict with his affliction leaves him 
distressed in mind and exhausted. He thus feels singu- 
larly alone. 

He is not without sympathy; no one who is thoughtful 
can fail to appreciate his sorrowful condition. There are 
times, however, when the unconscious behavior of the 
stammerer in his efforts to articulate touch the sense of 
humor even in thoughtful and sympathetic persons. For 
the less sympathetic class, the stammerer is a source of 
amusement; and such persons seldom succeed in their 
(feigned) effort to conceal their merriment. The stam- 
merer knows all this; he seldom fails to note all pleasure 
enjoyed at his expense, and his natural modesty impels 
him to retire. Human nature courts attention when it is 
favorable; but the attention which a stammerer receives 
on account of his speech is usually unfavorable, and the 
unfortunate one shrinks from notoriety. 

In business, a stammerer is not wanted because he does 
not fill the want. The activity of the commercial world 
demands persons who are fluent in speech to take charge 
of its interests. The very atmosphere of this world is 
irritating to the average stammerer; his nervous system 
soon gives way under the strain and he either loses his 
health or his defect becomes more troublesome. Some, 
however, overcome their impediment through the environ- 
ment of the business life. The sense of ability to cope 
with the responsibility placed upon them gives rise to 
confidence, which is the flood-tide necessary to ride them 
over the irregularities and hindrances against which they 
would stumble and fall should they pass that way un- 
buoyed. But these are exceptions. The average stam- 
merer is not as fortunate; he faces the responsibility of 
life with a shudder; he longs for seclusion; the world to 



STAMMERERS AND STAMMERING I95 

him seems cold, and he steps out into it only with fear 
and trembling. 

This is not a natural condition for a man; it is a con- 
dition brought about by the physical and mental stress 
endured by the stammerer, and in the majority of cases 
he is unable to help himself. He deserves sympathy, of 
which he gets but little; he deserves help; he deserves 
the benefits afforded by the advancing civilization. 

It seems somewhat strange at first thought that a 
stammerer should not be able to break his habit by his 
own efforts; but are there not many instances of physical 
and mental ills which the person suffering is unable to 
treat? The same general symptoms may be displayed by 
two different persons, but the treatment used to effect a 
cure in the case of one may be of little value in the case 
of the other; the persons differ constitutionally and are, 
therefore, affected differently from the same general 
cause; indeed, upon close analysis, it is seen to be a fact 
that there are as many different diseases to which the 
flesh is heir as there are patients suffering. It is not 
strange, therefore, that the sufferer cannot always effect 
a cure by his own efforts. 

The disease of stammering follows the same general 
law ; and, for the same reason, the sufferer, though he may 
be bright and talented, cannot always effect a cure by his 
own efforts. But there is a recourse; as the physician, 
who has familiarized himself with the human body, its 
condition, changes of condition, and the causes which give 
rise to these conditions and changes, is able to fathom 
the irregularities of an abnormal physical condition and 
correct the difficulty, so stammering, which refuses to 
yield to treatment based upon fancy, may be corrected by 
a man (a phonologist, if you please), who has familiar- 
ized himself with the mental and physical conditions 
which are present in persons who stammer, and the causes 
which lead to these conditions. 

The interests of the stammerer have been so long ob- 
scured by mediaeval darkness that the joy, with which a 



I96 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

sufferer hails the gleams of hope as they appear, can 
scarcely be realized ! The day has dawned when stammer- 
ing will be doomed, and one invariably feels a sense of 
deep gratitude towards the men of charity and persever- 
ance who have contributed so largely to the needs of a 
class of humanity who are singularly and literally bound, 
and alone in a cold world. Such deeds will never die! 



A THEORETICAL DISCUSSION OF SPEECH 

DEFECTS 

In the following paper I purpose to discuss the origin 
and treatment of speech defects in the light that biology, 
psychology and kindred sciences throw upon the subject. 
While it is true that what the stammerer wants is vigorous 
action, vigorous treatment, and not theory, yet the condi- 
tion of the stammerer has not escaped the notice of 
modern science, and he is referred to in the standard 
scientific books a great deal oftener than is commonly 
supposed to be the case. 

Someone has said that the theorist is the most practical 
of men. Like all epigrams, this statement is somewhat 
exaggerated; yet it contains a world of truth. The man 
at the microscope, with a working basis which is often 
purely theoretical, has made discoveries which have 
startled the world and revolutionized modern thought. 
The new science of biology, with its teaching of evolu- 
tion, the story of the beginning and the gradual develop- 
ment of life; psychology, the study of the mind; anthro- 
pology, the study of man in his infancy — all these sciences 
have sprung into being at the fiat of the student in thft 
laboratory and the library within the last half century. 
The experiments of the great thinkers who made these 
sciences possible have acted as a sort of ex-ray apparatus 
on the material universe and on the history and character, 
the mental and the physical make-up of man. 

The greatest shorthand writer in this country says the 



A THEORETICAL DISCUSSION OF SPEECH DEFECTS 1 97 

way to learn shorthand is to write it. The treatment for 
speech defects should be similar: the way to learn to 
talk is to talk. However, we should not forget the fact 
that we must consider the "how" before we do things. 
Theory generally comes before practice. When theory 
and practice are simultaneous, a happy condition of affairs 
exists, indeed; but all great inventions, all great move- 
ments, all great discoveries begin in thought, and are 
later developed by further investigation and experiment. 

Very few things escape the laws of development. Every- 
thing develops: good and evil are developments. Perfect 
speech and imperfect speech are both developments. It 
is the purpose of this essay to trace the development of 
perfect speech and to try to find those causes which 
make for imperfect speech. We will consider the subject 
positively rather than negatively. It is more important 
to build up than to tear down. What we are after is the 
building up of perfect speech more than the eradication of 
imperfect speech. 

The best way to study a thing is to go back to the 
beginning. We may trace back to the origin of speech 
in three ways. There is a time when the child cannot 
speak: we may go to the forest of Africa and find tribes 
of savages who cannot even to this day be said to speak 
in the full sense of the term, and we may follow with 
Darwin and his confreres back to that original man, 
with a speech so rudimentary as to be almost composed 
of a few primitive grunts and gestures. And right here 
is the origin of speech — the grunt. A grunt is a sound, 
and the sound is the beginning of human speech. The 
word for "yes" and "no" (generally accompanied by a 
gesture, as the nodding or shaking of the head) is today 
little more than a grunt. "Yah" is the first German word 
the English-speaking person learns. It is surprising how 
far a foreigner can get along in this country by only 
nodding or shaking his head and saying "yes" or "no." 
No doubt our early ancestors got along for ages without 
any articulate language at all by simply making signs or 



I98 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

gestures, accompanied by grunts. The child today talks 
with his eyes and fingers long before he can utter articu- 
late words. He will point at objects and grab for things. 
In his eagerness he will sometimes exert his whole body 
and make his chest and entire abdomen fairly dance — 
the entire trunk — to get at something or to go to his 
mother's arms; you can easily imagine the sparkling 
eyes, the smiling, eager lips (though dumb as yet), and 
the gesticulating arms and fingers that accompany such 
eager desire. This is the heaven-given pantomime that 
the actor must learn to use to accompany and illustrate 
his speech; which all of us use to a more or less degree 
when excited or angry, and which the deaf mute and 
sometimes the stammerer use to aid them to express them- 
selves. 

The human being is the only creature that can speak. 
Animals make sounds, but these sounds, while they 
often mean something and are understood by other ani- 
mals, are not articulate speech. A herd of deer, when 
grazing, will stretch out in a long line ; if the deer 
at the beginning of the line hears or scents danger, he will 
make certain sounds in the line. When the danger be- 
comes imminent the first deer will give a cry which means 
"flee for your lives," and the whole herd will take to 
flight. This is a sort of sound language, but it is not 
articulate speech. That was reserved for the delicate 
lips of man. 

But man's language, in its inception, was scarcely 
more than inarticulate sounds, ejaculated vowel sounds to 
express alarm and hunger, the two of the most elemen- 
tary sensations. Our exclamations today indicative of 
pain or pleasure are generally simply modified vowel 
sounds. "Oh !" for surprise, or pain; as, "Oh ! I have hurt 
myself ;" or, "Ouch ! I have cut my finger !" or, "Pshaw ! 
go way !" expressive of annoyance. The child "cooes" 
for pleasure, and cries with pain. He does not say: "I 
am happy," but gurgles with laughter. He does not say 
to his mother: "There is a pin sticking me in the thigh 



A THEORETICAL DISCUSSION OF SPEECH DEFECTS I99 

which is causing my sensory system a good deal of 
annoyance," but he "bawls." When the savage inhabitants 
of the Coral Islands first saw a Frenchman they never 
asked him what his name was, nor did they call him "un 
Francais." They called him "the wee-wee man," that is, 
yes-yes man, because oui, the word for yes in French is 
pronounced wee, and the natives called the French the 
"wee-wee." The child does not call an engine, "an engine ;" 
he calls it a "chou-chou" because he had heard the engine 
go "chou-chou;" he may call a duck a "quack," or a little 
chich a "pee-pee," because the little chick goes "pee-pee." 
The savages of the west coast of Africa, those grown 
children, call a tavern a "hee-hee" house, that is a 
laughter house. Hearing the laughter and merriment of 
the men within, they make a new sound-word and call it 
a "hee-hee" house. 

Just as a phonograph reproduces sound, so speech, in its 
beginning was patterned more or less after sounds heard 
in nature. Today many of our English words are imita- 
tive words. We speak of rippling waters and babbling 
brooks; the hum of machinery, the boom of cannon, the 
tolling of the bells, the moaning and the groaning of the 
wind, the shriek of the steam zvhistle, and sometimes 
call champagne fizz and beer pop. Edgar Allen Poe's 
poem, called "The Bells," is what might be called a sound 
poem. 

Hear the tolling of the bells — 
Iron bells ! 
What a world of solemn thought their monody compels ! 
In the silence of the night, 
How we shiver with affright, 
At the melancholy menace of their tone ! 
For every sound that floats 
From the rust within their throats 
Is a groan. 



200 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

And their king it is who tolls ; 
And he rolls, rolls, rolls, 

Keeping time, time, time, 

To the throbbing of the bells — 

To the sobbing of the bells; 

As he knells, knells, knells, — 

To the rolling of the bells, — 

To the tolling of the bells, 
To the moaning and the groaning of the bells. 

This poem is practiced in many schools of elocution as 
an exercise in tone-production, volume and tone-coloring. 
It is a poem full of long vowels, long sounds. Pronounce 
the word toll and tolling in the manner a funeral bell 
tolls and see the effect. Dwell upon the o of the word 
and then, using your tongue as a clapper, strike the con- 
sonant i very heavily, using a full, vigorous volume of 
breath, and you get the effect of a bell I have often heard 
at a cemetery when a funeral procession enters the gates. 
In the fifth line, every actor knows the effect that can 
be secured by dwelling upon the vowel sound i in the word 
shiver. So suggestive is the sound produced that when 
it vibrates on the lips of the speaker his shoulders shudder 
and his whole body recoils almost instinctively. One of 
the best known readers on the American platform told me 
he read this poem as an exercise for vocal endurance, 
volume and ease of tone-production several times a day 
for years. 

How shall we learn to talk distinctly? One way is by 
measuring sound. This thought alone, if carried out 
vigorously, is enough to make a stammerer talk plainly 
enough for producing records for a phonograph. In a 
little pamphlet, published by a Phonograph Com- 
pany as an advertisement for their talking machines, en- 
titled, "The Art of Making Phonograph Records," occurs 
the following suggestive paragraph on sound production: 
"In making talking records, speak naturally, but with 
energy. Do not force the voice too much, or the 



A THEORETICAL DISCUSSION OF SPEECH DEFECTS 201 

result will be jerky. Articulate plainly. Sound s and t 
with particular distinctness. If it is required to get an 
extremely loud record, good results are often obtained by 
talking in a half-singing manner, or drawl." If a stam- 
merer were to carry out conscientiously the methods here 
suggested and get someone to drill him; if he would 
train in it as faithfully as the athlete does his "track 
work," he would win in the contest. 

Speech, then, in its origin, is sound imitation. The mo- 
ment the child's mind begins to recognize things, to distin- 
guish things about it one from another, and as its mind 
develops, there develops a corresponding need for vocal 
expression. The child must speak. Now, how will it 
talk ? Well or poorly ? What determines the child's mode 
of talking? Its environment. By environment is meant 
the child's surroundings; the child's home; the carpet 
on the floor, the paper on the walls, the faces and the 
voices of the parents and friends — all these constitute the 
child's environment. From these he gets his first idea of 
the world about him. If his mother speaks French, he 
will speak French; if English, he will speak English. 
If she speaks good, pure English, the child will speak 
good, pure English. And here is the fatality of it all : 
Suppose she does not; Sarah Cowell Le Moyne, the well 
known elocutionist, and now equally celebrated actress, 
in speaking of this calamity in an article in Collier** 
for November 10, 1900, says: "I advocate taking 
the child voice and moulding and training it. Vocalizing 
in reading and speaking does not entail any such labor 
as vocalizing in music; yet how few who employ singing 
masters consider the importance of a cultivated speaking 
voice. Generally when an adult goes to a voice instructor 
he is in despair at the condition into which careless 
talking and slovenly habits of speech have brought him. 
Habit of speech becomes fixed with especial stubborness, 
and many a cultivated man or woman finds difficulty 
in getting rid of incorrect inflections and improper tone- 
production absorbed from companions of their childhood." 



202 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

In the same article she says: "There are today 
thousands of parents whose children twenty years hence 
will reproach them for having neglected their voices. 
When a child begins to speak its voice education should 
begin. And how is it begun for many children whose 
opportunities might be of the best? By giving them over 
to the companionship of nurses, whose speech is ignorant 
and coarse. Nasal notes and harsh burrs, even if after 
education succeeds in eliminating faults of grammer and 
grotesque forms of speech, give the baby the first impres- 
sions of the art of speaking, and first impressions are 
the strongest and most lasting. Many lovely children 
whom I know are saddled with the faulty speech of their 
nurses, handicapped with bad talking habits, from which 
they will never wholly recover. Right here is where the 
development of the kindergarten will, in time, work a 
great reform. I am certain that one of the outgrowths of 
the recognition of the value of infantile education will 
be schools for the training of infants' nurses. And may 
I be there to insist that these coming guardians of the 
babies take a preliminary course in voice culture. Further- 
more, I am an advocate of the stage and platform as 
educators. It is well to let children hear frequently what 
the human voice is capable of in the way of power and 
expression. Only be careful in the choice of their 
models." 

Speech, at its beginning, arises in answer to the needs 
of a pressing environment. The child must name things; 
and as his mind develops and he learns to distinguish 
things that are hurtful from things that are beneficial by 
actual experience, as, for instance, the red glow of a 
heated stove from the rosy glow of an apple or a piece 
of dress goods, there comes a need for words, and these 
he hears from his parents' lips, and fortunate he is if his 
parents speak well naturally, and more fortunate still if 
they know how and take any interest in instructing the 
little one in the elements of speech and its production. 

The magic time for the cultivation of speech is child- 



A THEORETICAL DISCUSSION OF SPEECH DEFECTS 203 

hood and early youth. It is then that the child begins to 
form his life-habits. It is then that habits of accurate, 
refined speech, as well as habits of regularity, punctuality 
and orderliness are formed as easily as habits of inac- 
curate and blurred speech and habits of listlessness and 
carelessness. Childhood and early youth is the golden 
time of reflex action. The impressionable mind of the 
child is like the wax record of a phonograph. It registers 
and easily retains all it hears, whether good or bad. Child- 
hood and youth are the periods when piano playing, the 
languages, mathematics, typewriting and shorthand, danc- 
ing and skating, are easily learned. Every good musician, 
as he grows older, blesses the conscientious master who 
taught him correct and easy methods of fingering. He is 
no longer bothered by the mechanics of finger gymnastics. 
Fingering, mastered in his youth, he is able to express 
the soul qualities in his playing. The adult, who begins 
piano playing, if he is brave enough and is not frightened 
from the attempts by the sheer thought of the hours and 
hours of laborious practice and valuable time it takes 
to learn to play, finds he is all fingers and wishes he had 
so mastered them in his youth as to have forgotten he 
had any. That child is indeed fortunate whose mother 
has looked after his speech as carefully as she has looked 
after his personal cleanliness. I know of a family who 
had only one child, the idol of its parents' hearts. The 
unfortunate child, to the consternation of the parents, as 
it grew up, talked to me what sounded like a web-footed 
dialect. It could not say seventy-six; it said "webbenty- 
wix." It could not sound s; it sounded w. What was the 
cause of this? The parents had used the child like a pet 
poodle, or plaything, and invariably mocked the little one's 
baby talk. Encouraged by the persons whom it natur- 
ally looked to and patterned after, it grew up talking this 
distorted English. Much money had to be spent in giving 
the child private lessons in talking when it grew older, 
to say nothing of the humiliation both the parents and 
child itself felt. 



204 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

Nature, reflex action and growth are all on the side of 
the child. Given a good home, pleasant, moral, sensible 
parents, and a fair education, there is no good sensible 
reason why the child should not develop into a happy 
useful man or woman, with all his or her faculties work- 
ing in harmonious order. But suppose for some reason 
or other the child does not develop symmetrically. Sup- 
pose, due to heredity or to the stress of an unnatural or 
oppressing environment, the child's powers of speech are 
hindered in their development. Suppose it stammers or 
stutters. What shall we do with it? Let us suppose the 
parents are able to take it to a speech specialist. What 
kind of a speech specialist? To a surgeon? No; speech 
is a mental matter. It arises in answer to a need in the 
child's mind to name the objects around him. The child 
might know and recognize the objects around him with- 
out calling them names, but he must have resort to the 
physical organs of speech to give utterance to his thoughts 
so he can communicate with others. In some manner the 
medium of action in the desire in the child's mind and 
the physical expression of that desire have been inter- 
fered with, and inharmonious, halting action results. 

The speech specialist will scrutinize the child, or the 
adult, if adult it be, carefully, to see what kind of indi- 
vidual he is. Now, there are at least three types of 
people : the mental type, the emotional type and the physi- 
cal type. These types all demand different treatment, 
although the fundamentals of that treatment may be 
much the same. Teachers of the art of acting in our best 
dramatic schools divide the human body into three parts 
or zones : the intellectual or mental zone, the head ; the 
emotional zone, the chest ; and the physical zone, the trunk 
and the legs. The eyes that sparkle and the lofty forehead 
where thought resides, these constitute the intellectual 
zone; the heaving chest, where the sighs come from and 
the sobs, and the swellings of the angry passions rise, is 
the emotional part of the body; the abdomen, the vital 
part of the body and the legs, the foundations upon which 



A THEORETICAL DISCUSSION OF SPEECH DEFECTS 205 

the body stands, constitute the physical part. So the face, 
the hands and the feet may be subdivided in the same 
manner. The intellectual part of the head is the fore- 
head and the eyes; the emotional part is the nose, as, 
for instance, we say a large nose represents sensuousness 
and generosity. The lips and the jaw are the physi- 
cal parts of the head, for with them we grind our food 
and chisel our words. The fingers of the hand are the 
intellectual part of that member; we finger the piano and 
the typewriter with the fingers; the emotional part is the 
broad palm; we recoil with horror from a serpent and 
put out the palm of the hand to ward it off ; or, we extend 
the palm to express greeting and pleasure at the sight of 
a friend, when our lips simultaneously exclaim: "How 
glad I am to see you !" A good dancer points his toes, 
the intellectual part of his feet; the heel is the physical 
part. 

In some people the emotional predominates; if it is 
backed by a strong physique, and if the individual is fairly 
well balanced intellectually, we have a normal man. If 
the physical side of the person is inclined to be weak or 
not proportionate to the intellectual and the emotional, 
we have a person who is likely to lose his balance easily 
or who finds it difficult to maintain it at all times. Now, 
the speech specialist must find out what kind of a patient 
he has to deal with. If he finds him wringing his hands ; 
drumming upon the arms of the chair with his fingers, or 
toying with a knife, or drawing squares and angles upon 
the carpet with his toes; when he begins to talk, if he 
tries to say five words where he ought to say one, if his 
mind seems to act quicker than his lips can move if he 
wears himself out in a few minutes; the specialist knows 
he has a stammerer of the nervous type. He will need a 
mental regimen. If the patient can sit still in his chair 
and shows no emotional excitement until he begins to 
speak, when the efforts he makes betrays the fact that he 
cannot control the muscles of his lips and throat, we infer 
that he is a stammerer or possibly a stutterer of the 



206 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

physical type and will need a regimen which will give him 
increased muscular control as well as the proper coor- 
dination between mind and muscle. 

Now, if speech in its origin be sound production, the 
first thing to be looked after is the patient's power to 
produce sound. What is his physical condition? What 
is his breathing capacity? Is there a lack of coordination 
between the production of breath and the utterance of 
words ? Is the defective articulation of the patient caused 
by improper breathing habits? It may be he can pro- 
nounce one word at a time, but when required to read 
connected discourse or enter into conversation, his breath 
fails him, or the merely mechanical work of breathing and 
articulating at the same time frightens and worries him 
and throws him off his balance. The stammerer is not the 
only one who should learn to breathe. The statistics pub- 
lished by the United States census bureau at the taking 
of the last census shows that one-third of the annual 
death rate is due to weak lungs. Wind cannot be produced 
without a bellows, and it is no use to begin drill work 
in the niceties of articulation until the bellows is in per- 
fect working order. 

One well-known writer says : "No classes in our schools 
are of more vital importance than those of voice-training 
and articulation. The visitor may hear, at any of these 
schools, a class of young men and women going through 
the elemental sounds. It has a comic effect; but the 
teacher is always very earnest. 

"The pupils are learning not only to utter sounds clearly 
but to breathe properly as they talk — a mechanical pro- 
cess, just as a young blacksmith must learn to work the 
bellows to keep a steady flame. In the higher classes of 
the same department the niceties of tone are taught — 
purity, resonance, flexibility; these things and many more, 
before they come to expression. With that, of course, 
comes in the great art of dramatic elocution, but not until 
these grown children have gone back to their babyhood 
and relearned how to talk. Let the reader think, for a 



A THEORETICAL DISCUSSION OF SPEECH DEFECTS 207 

moment, how perfectly under control they must have the 
organs of speech, not only to express to auditors many 
feet away the various human emotions without apparent 
exertion, but also to imitate, when need be, the myriad 
vocal eccentricities and faults of their fellow-creatures, 
to say nothing of the various dialects which should be at 
the actor's command." 

With the perfection of the breathing apparatus and the 
control of the breath, should come a general toning up of 
the whole muscular and nervous system. There is noth- 
ing so successful as success; nothing is so inspiring as 
the doing of things and the overcoming of obstacles. The 
student should improve in spirits. His face should brighten 
and his eyes sparkle with new hope and confidence. As 
one writer says: "The basis of a good voice is a 
good stomach. Eat well, sleep well, and walk well. It 
seems odd, perhaps, that drooped shoulders and immovable 
hips in walking should affect the voice; but they do. 
Whatever adds to the breadth of lung keeps the voice full 
and strong, and the full and strong voice is the voice 
that can be trained. It is possible for every young person 
to improve the voice. Only one must be always watchful ! 
So many children — men and women, too — merely drop the 
jaw and let the words come out as they will, without 
emphasis or expression, conveying only half their mean- 
ing. You grow indignant at such mumbling, just as you 
resent a shambling gait in a man or woman." 

Regnier says : "The first condition of the actor's art is 
to make himself heard. That is an axiom I never cease to 
repeat; and, in order to be heard, it is not necessary to 
shout, but rather to speak distinctly, that is, to accent the 
consonants and give to the vowels and to the dipthongs 
their correct sounds. This is the foundation of the art of 
speaking, the subject to which you should give particular 
attention. Correct articulation and accurate pronuncia- 
tion aid the general expression; but though the actor be 
ever so highly endowed by nature, he will never amount 
to much if he speaks badly." But how shall the student 



208 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

be taught to speak well? Suppose he can do it in a 
formal manner, taking great care to be always on guard. 
Can he practice such a method in everyday life? 
Will he have the sang froid necessary to do this, and 
even if he has, will people not be justified in smiling and 
staring at him? How will he learn to talk naturally; 
learn to obey and yet conceal the rules of articulation? 
By practice and mastery. The teacher is now in the realm 
of reflex action, in the realm where absolute mastery 
of principles is demanded. The student must be drilled 
in the elements of the English language, in the vowels and 
consonants, in the analysis of the vocal structure of 
words. And he must be drilled and drilled and drilled. 
He must study to play his lips like a master studies to 
finger the piano. He must study words singly and then 
in groups. He must be drilled in the forty or more ele- 
mentary sounds of the English language until he can 
make them separately and without hesitation. He must 
learn how to give vigorous, healthy d, z, and t 
sounds. He must learn that the consonants form the 
backbone, the framework of words and that a vigorous 
attack upon the consonants and a correct, vigorous vowel 
sounding, give the word a good, healthy, well-rounded 
body. He must learn to combine words into groups, 
phrases, sentences and finally connected discourse. 

What kinds of groups shall he use? Shall we give him 
the "Data of Ethics" and ask him to read Mr. Herbert 
Spencer's famous definition of evolution; "a change from 
an indefinite incoherent homogeneity to a definite coherent 
heterogeneity through continuous differentiations and in- 
tegrations?" No, we must begin with the words which 
the elementary emotions prompt. We must always advance 
from the simple to the more complex. That is why nature 
always acts : this is what is meant by growth. The stu- 
dent should be induced to say what he really feels, and 
from the very first attempt he should try to make his 
words express what he actually feels. He should not 
only perform the physical act of speech with his lips, and 



A THEORETICAL DISCUSSION OF SPEECH DEFECTS 20O, 

the intellectual act in pronouncing the word with the 
proper sounds and consonants ; he should at once begin to 
coordinate the emotional, the feeling part of the process, 
with the mental and physical steps involved in speech 
production. 

Study of the higher forms of dramatic speech follows 
the same order as in the instruction given in all the other 
departments — that is, from the simple to the more com- 
plex, from the literal to the more involved. 

The first necessity in dramatic reading is to clear the 
way for deeper conceptions by insuring exactitude in 
delivery and a clear objective picturing of meanings. This 
is obtained largely by practice in reading aloud entirely 
undramatic material, such as advertisements, shop signs, 
etc. 

The next step takes the pupil to the study of simple 
and elemental impressions and then to manifestations in 
exclamatory form. Ordinary colloquial dialogue is studied 
with the object of obtaining an appreciation of the sen- 
sitive impressions received by the listener while another 
character is speaking, as preparatory to the response in 
the speech of the character impersonated. 

If men stopped feeling, they would stop talking. Feei- 
ng of some sort lies at the basis of every word we utter. 
When a person is wrought up with the strongest feeling, 
he generally talks the best. Some of our most intellectual 
men are our worst feelers and our worst talkers. They 
let the intellect run away with them; they become so 
accustomed to thinking and feeling with a pen that they 
lose control of the lips through sheer vocal inactivity. 
The clear, bell-like speech of some uneducated person 
uttering some trivial but heart-felt words of endearment 
or merriment become the envy of the chest-cramped man 
of study. A very masterful address, made by one of the 
presidents of our larger universities at his installation, 
failed to produce any impression upon the audience; 
because in the large music hall where the ceremonies 
were held, his voice could not be heard twenty rows from 
the stage. 

14 



210 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

We should not go to the opposite extreme, however, 
and here is just where the difficulty lies. We should not 
allow ourselves to be carried away by feeling. One of the 
causes of stammering is a lack of control of the feelings, 
or a disturbance in the stammerer's emotional nature, due 
in its origin possibly to embarrassment caused by his 
efforts to talk, or to other causes. Feeling, such as ex- 
treme griet, terror or anger, even paralyzes the speech of 
a perfectly normal person. The object of the drill work 
in building up new speech habits is to give control. When 
the student has gained control of single words and the 
physical organs which produce them, he should be drilled 
in delivering sustained passages without stumbling or 
wavering Iboth in reading and in conversation. Nor must 
the instructor allow him to forget his breathing. 

If any emotional fear gathers around the utterance 
of certain words, this will naturally be dispelled as con- 
fidence increases in response to repeated victories on 
the part of the student. He must exercise his lips for 
ease of utterance, fluency and sustained power, exercising, 
of course, always in a practical manner, that is, with 
words, the symbols he is to use in his actual life work to 
express his thoughts. 

A method of teaching for the cure of speech defects 
should "hold the mirror up to nature." The method 
itself should inspire the confidence of the student by 
its naturalness and practicability. The best teacher 
is nature. The instructor is trying to get the student 
back to nature, and that is what the student yearns 
and prays for in the bottom of his heart. He wants 
to be natural and to escape the marks by which his pecu- 
liarity of speech renders him conspicuous among his fel- 
low-creatures. The height of all art is to conceal art. While 
the artist cannot reproduce real stone walls in his picture, 
put real leaves on his trees, what the observer does demand 
is that the illusion produced by the brush and palette be 
complete. The student suffering from defective speech 
demands more. He says : "I am a man, with a mind and 



A THEORETICAL DISCUSSION OF SPEECH DEFECTS 211 

what a good method of teaching should do for him if it 
claims to restore him to natural speech, and this is what 
the student has the right to demand. 

In learning a foreign language, the grammar must be 
mastered step by step, beginning with the elements and 
the simple statements of the language, and advancing, 
mastering every step as every step is taken, to the more 
intricate and delicate construction. He must memorize 
formulas and so memorize them and practice them 
until he forgets in the actual applying of them in 
practical speech that they were ever learned as formulas 
at all; he must acquire a large and rich vocabulary. 
The artist must master perspective before he can submerge 
his technique in delineating the soul and catch upon the 
canvas the divine light of the human countenance for his 
Madonna and his Christ. The pianist must forget his 
fingering in the mastering before he can put soul into his 
music and stir the heart of others bv the inspiration his 
delicate touch lends to the keys. Now, nature is very 
kind to most of us, and we learn to walk without much 
trouble as children — or at least we are unconscious of it. 
The little tot, it is true, when he first starts out, makes 
desperate efforts, and uses his hands, head, arms and body 
as well as his feet; but he learns it when he is as yet 
scarcely conscious of the pains he takes to learn, and no 
grown-up person ever thinks of describing to you how 
difficult he found it to learn to walk when he was a child 
any more than he would think of making his mind control 
each separate step he takes in walking down the street. 
When the awkward boy of seventeen tries to dance or 
skate, or ride a bicycle, he finds it a rather difficult feat to 
accomplish at first, much more so than walking was to 
him, because now he "is fully conscious of the labor and 
pains it takes to learn. The student who is striving to 
attain perfect speech must practice and work so as to 
establish new habits of speech. He must exercise himself 
vocally until he has acquired such command over himself 
that it ceases to be a command. When he has done this, we 



212 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

know the return to nature has been made. Here is the 
testimony Henry Ward Beecher offers at this juncture: 

"I had from childhood a thickness of speech arising 
from a large palate, and when a boy I used to be laughed 
at for talking as if I had pudding in my mouth. When I 
went to Amherst I was fortunate in passing into the hands 
of John Lovell, * * * * and a better teacher for 
my purpose I cannot conceive. His system consisted 
in drill, or the thorough practice of inflections by the 
voice, of gesture, posture, and articulation. Sometimes I 
was a whole hour practicing my voice on a word — like 
justice. I would have to take a posture, frequently at a 
mark chalked out on the floor. Then we would go through 
all the gestures. * * * It was drill, drill, drill, until the 
motions almost became a second nature. Now, I never 
know what movements I shall make. My gestures are 
natural, because this drill made them natural to me. The 
only method of acquiring effective elocution is by practice, 
of not less than an hour a day, until the student has his 
voice and himself thoroughly subdued and trained to right 
expression." 

Every great thing that is done in this life has at the 
bottom a strong foundation of faith. Every great cathe- 
dral, every great temple, every great building, every great 
movement in human progress, stands for the concrete ex- 
pression of so much faith and hope. The student may 
ask: "If I give up everything and devote my whole life 
and soul to vocal mastery for three or four months, or 
possibly longer, can I be assured of final victory? Can 
science offer me any positive assurance that I will succeed? 
The great underlying principle of the tremendous prog- 
ress that science has made in the last century is the 
axiom : 'Evolution is the law of progress.' The word 
evolution means simply development. The law of develop- 
ment has guided the invention and the gradual improve- 
ment of the steam engine from the first and crudest engine 
to the immense monsters that whirl our great trains 
through space or afford power enough to run the electric 



A THEORETICAL DISCUSSION OF SPEECH DEFECTS 213 

cars of great cities. Henry Drummond, in the 'Ascent of 
Man/ on page 340, says: 'Evolution has ushered a new 
hope into the world. The supreme message of science to 
this age is that all Nature is on the side of the man who 
strives to rise." 

Now, what is meant by evolution or development ? What 
hope has it to offer to those afflicted with vocal troubles? 
It offers a very definite, positive hope; it offers the hope 
of adjustment. What is meant by adjustment? Adjust- 
ment is the adjusting of ourselves to new conditions. 
Evolution may be defined as the continuous adjustment 
of internal relations to external conditions. The meaning 
of this may best be illustrated by the story of the evolution 
of the horse. Two great necessities perpetually harass 
the animal kingdom and the savage man — hunger and 
defense. These pressing necessities actually change and 
adjust the bodies of the animal to meet them. A great 
many centuries ago there was no such animal as the 
horse, as we know it today. The forefather of the pres- 
ent animal we know as the horse was a clumsy animal 
like the bear. Some of these flabby, bear-like 
animals, at some time or other, left their native forests', 
where they could quickly and easily escape their enemies 
by climbing trees, and could get all the food they wanted 
by prowling stealthily in the brushwood and suddenly 
pouncing upon their prey. Their paws were large and 
flabby, suitable for grasping the limbs of the trees in 
climbing. From some cause or other, possibly a lack of 
food or from the fact that they were being hard pressed 
by their enemies, a portion of these animals deserted their 
wooden homes for the open plains. Now, what happened? 
They met new conditions in the level, open, unwooded 
country. They could no longer crouch in the deep brush- 
wood of the forest and pounce upon their prey, because 
there was no brushwood to hide in. They must now 
chase the swift-footed deer or other agile animals for their 
food or starve. And the bear began to run. There were 
no trees for him to climb now, if he met a stronger enemy 



214 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

than he was, he must fight or run. The enemy being the 
stronger, he naturally preferred to run; it is a law of 
nature that all animals follow the path of least resist- 
ance. When the bear found himself obliged to run for 
food and safety, his flabby, clumsy paws began to adjust 
themselves to this new necessity, and began to harden. 
As time went on, they hardened more and more until 
finally the hoof began to appear. 

It is a well known fact that some of the Indians 
in South America, who still lead the outdoor, savage 
life their forefathers used to live, have feet so hard 
as to be almost hoofs. The story is told in the Youth's 
Companion of one of them who went into a black- 
smith's shop and happened to step upon a piece of red- 
hot iron. He stood still for some time and did not 
notice what he was standing upon until the odor of burnt 
flesh attracted the attention of the white blacksmith, and 
the Indian jumped from the iron with a cry of pain as 
it burned down into the tender flesh. The Indian 
had acquired his hard, callous feet from constant running 
in the open country. This is what happened to the bear. 
To meet new conditions, his feet adjusted themselves to 
running and hardened into hoofs. He learned to fight 
and left off prowling and cringing. It is well known what 
a vigorous fight a horse can put up with his narrow, 
slender feet and mail-clad hoofs. I say narrow, slender 
feet, for the very form, the body itself, of the bear under- 
went a change to meet the requirements of its new life. 
The exertion he was obliged to make in fleeing from his 
enemies took away his fatness, and the fleeter he became, 
the slenderer and more delicate his feet became. 

This is what is meant by development. Man's body has 
undergone the same changes. There is a marked differ- 
ence between the hand of his earliest ancestors and the 
hand of the diamond cutter and the piano player. This 
difference is all due to gradual adjustment to new and 
higher things. There is something divine in this wonder- 
ful adjusting process. It is like God's promise in the 



A THEORETICAL DISCUSSION OF SPEECH DEFECTS 21 5 

rainbow. If we strive, if we struggle : science says nature 
is on the side of the man who strives to rise. What can 
the man, troubled with speech defects, do to adjust his 
speech to new and more perfect conditions? The first 
thing he must do is to seek these conditions; seek the 
open plains and leave the brushwood of stammering. He 
must go to some good institution where he can be taken in 
charge by instructors skilled in the educational methods 
of growth and adjustment. He must live a life of new 
conditions for a time, and strive to meet them. Because 
he has met an enemy, who is a little stronger than he is, 
he must not run. He must fight, and be developed by 
that fight. That fight, under the guidance of skillful, 
scientific methods, carried on in a school the very atmo- 
sphere of which says : "You must speak plainly," will 
end in victory. But the man must seek a bracing en- 
vironment of this character; the institution he attends 
must be environmental, that is, he must be in a school 
where he is constantly attended to, constantly urged to 
struggle. "Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty." He 
must not let himself go backward, even for a day, an 
hour or a minute. If he does, his chance of recovery will 
be but slight. This is why serious speech defects cannot 
be dealt with by sending the pupil to an ordinary school 
for a few hours a week. As soon as he is outside of the 
walls of the school, he will go backwards. He is like 
a young bird who leaves the nest before he is able to fly. 
He must wait till he grows stronger; wait until he has 
been so disciplined and has so disciplined himself that 
he has almost forgotten the discipline; wait until complete 
spontaneity has been restored; until the body obeys the 
dictates of the mind, and the lips respond and make known 
the thoughts of his brain in a perfect, spontaneous way. 
He must not leave the strengthening environment of the 
institution he attends until he has completely mastered 
his body, and, as one well known writer says, "has placed it 
under arrest." "For the first thing to be learned from 
these facts is not that the body is nothing and must now 



2l6 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

decay, but that it is most of all and more than ever 
worthy to be preserved. The moment our care of it 
slackens, the body asserts itself. It comes out from under 
arrest — which is the one thing to be avoided. Its true 
place by the ordained appointment of Nature is where it 
can be ignored; if through disease, neglect or injury it 
returns to consciousness, the effect of evolution is un- 
done. Sickness is degeneration; pain the signal to re- 
sume the evolution. On the one hand, one must 'reckon 
the body dead'; on the other, one must think of it in 
order not to think of it." 

Everything in life is paid for with a price. Nature 
gave man nothing without he struggled for it. Mental 
accomplishments, like perfect, beautiful speech, whether 
employed in vocal music or in the still diviner music of 
the voice when uttering the thoughts of a great mind, 
are bought with tremendous mental endeavor. The 
finished actor, whose every word paints some struggle, 
some aspiration, of the soul within, has perfected the art- 
gift which God endowed him with, only after years of 
practice. Working with the right methods, in the right 
manner, and with the necessary perseverance, success is 
assured even to the humblest. And the gift of perfect 
speech is a reward worth the labor. 

"By it (speech) alone, in any degree worth naming, can 
the fruits of observation and experience of one generation 
be husbanded to form a starting-point for a second, nor 
without it could there be any concerted action or social 
life. The greatness of the human mind, after all, is due to 
the tongue, the material instrument of reason, and to 
language the outward expression of the inner life." 

I have said a good deal about the effort the student 
should put forth. I might add something in regard to 
the teacher. Stammering is a nervous trouble. The 
student is not an ordinary student; he is rather a patient. 
He needs encouragement. The teacher of speech, like all 
real teachers, should be magnetic. When we consider 
how many actors and public speakers in the pulpit and on 



A THEORETICAL DISCUSSION OF SPEECH DEFECTS 217 

platform fail for a lack of personal magnetism, we know 
what magnetism means. Christ, the divine teacher, must 
have been a man of extraordinarily magnetic qualities. If 
a speaker fails to draw a few hundred people crowded 
into a small house to hear, what must have been 
the magnetism of Christ who has drawn all the world to 
him? The teacher should have a magnetic, smiling face. 
He should lead the pupil to think that his case is not so 
bad as he (the pupil) thinks, and his confidence and trust 
should awaken a corresponding confidence and faith in the 
bosom of the student. The teacher should have a mind en- 
riched by the thoughts of the great men of the present and 
the past, and he should try to show the student that speech, 
in the final analysis, does not reside in the breathing 
apparatus or the physical lips, but in the mind. His life 
should be an inspiration to the student, and the student, 
following the teacher's footsteps, should feel his speech 
begin to transcend matter, and the physical difficulties and 
mental hesitation disappear as the mind enters into the 
undisputed possession of its own. Of course, I have in 
mind the ideal teacher, but he is not a myth nor a dream. 
Go to any large college, and ask for the foremost pro- 
fessor, and you will find the ideal man. 

The teacher must surround his students with a quick- 
ening, enthusiastic environment, and this is especially 
true of the teacher of the art of perfect speech where 
everything depends on that environment and without 
which no progress can be made. In a school for the rec- 
tifying of speech defects, the teacher must know his pupil ; 
he must know each and every one individually and as 
individuals. The underlying principles of medicine may 
be in general similar, but no doctor would prescribe for a 
hospital by wards. The teacher must study his pupil care- 
fully. He must then work with him with a view to har- 
monious development and coordination of the mental and 
the physical, trying to. calm and tone down the disturbed 
emotional state which speech difficulty has brought about. 
He must try to blend the three states together, perfecting 



2l8 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

the physical, enlarging and strengthening the mental, and 
restoring the emotional to its normal state. When the 
forces that make a man a whole man have been made 
to work in perfect harmony and perfect coordination, 
then the teacher's task is done and not till then, and then 
the student may venture out with entire confidence upon 
the sea of life to make new conquests for himself. 



HOW SHALL THEY BELIEVE 

A stammerer's greatest stumbling block, so far as his 
own consciousness goes, is the feeling which he has, under 
certain circumstances, that it is impossible for him to 
speak. The point to which he must come, if a cure is to 
be effected, is that of knowing that he can speak, where- 
ever and whenever he chooses. So long as the feeling or 
thought that he cannot speak, occupies and controls his 
mind, even though it come but seldom, he is not free. 

Lewis defines stammering in its last analysis as 
a lack of coordination, the broken link in the chain be- 
tween thought and speech, coming at the point where "the 
mental energy of the will fails to stimulate to action the 
motor organism of the body." 

Now, what connection can we trace between the action 
or non-action of this "motor nervous force," which is a 
physiological fact, and the mental states of a stammerer, 
of either fearing he cannot speak or knowing he can? 

Professor William James, in his Psychology, in the 
chapter on the will, says that this "mental energy of the 
will" (to use Mr. Lewis' term), or effort of the will, in 
any difficult action, is not applied to the muscles them- 
selves, but to the thought of the action. "Effort of atten- 
tion" is made to get the idea of the action clearly before 
the mind, to keep it there in the face of opposing ideas; 
and when the thought in all its clearness and power really 
fills the mind and gains its consent to be made real or to 
be performed, the muscular action necessary follows with- 



HOW SHALL THEY BELIEVE? 219 

out any special effort of will being applied to them. All 
this, of course, providing that the physiological arrange- 
ments for the transmission of the nerve current are intact. 

In the case of the stammerer there was, I suppose, 
in the first place, some slight physical derangement or 
sensitiveness in the brain, but it is a well proven fact that 
this can be overcome by training, in connection with the 
growth and development of the mind; and it is of this 
growth or change, which must take place in a stammerer's 
mind, and its relation to his ability to control his speech, 
that I want to speak. 

We start with the general statement that the thought 
of any bodily action, when sufficiently clear and strong, 
will produce the action, and that the effort we make in 
doing a difficult thing is essentially an effort to bring the 
thought of it clearly before the mind and keep it there, in 
spite of the spontaneous drift of thought being all the 
other way. We hold our attention to it until it grows 
and gains a hold upon us and secures the consent of our 
whole being to the performance of the action. 

L'et us try to understand a little more definitely what 
this clear and full thought, that perfectly commands the 
motor energy of the nerves, involves. 

With a little reflection, it is clear that the most perfect 
performance of any difficult action depends on three 
things — first, that we desire it as an end in itself, or as a 
means to an end; second, that we understand how it is 
to be done, that our mind grasps the principles that under- 
lie the performance of it; third, that our muscles have a 
certain amount of exercise in the direction desired. It 
is a matter of time and hard work, often, to secure this 
thought which commands the obedience of the muscles, 
but when these three things are combined, we have the 
consent to the action yielded by the whole man — the heart 
ardently desiring it, the understanding thoroughly in- 
structed and convinced, and the muscles the ready instru- 
ments for its performance. 

These conditions are the basis for a full and complete 



220 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

confidence in our ability to perform any action. We have 
said that they are also the conditions that control the 
motor nervous energy, and in them we thus have the con- 
nection which we before spoke of tracing, between the 
action of this energy and a stammerer's belief in his abil- 
ity to speak. His lack of confidence, his fear of such dif- 
ferent results from those which he desires to produce, is 
the mental fact that corresponds to the physiological fact 
of the lack of motor power. 

A stammerer's speaking organs will obey the dictates 
of his will or his desire to speak, when his knowledge and 
practice of the various steps involved are complete, when 
he has come to such an understanding of the laws that 
govern the working of his mind and body, that there is no 
room left for the slightest doubt of his ultimate ability 
to speak as he desires, to creep in. In short, he will speak 
perfectly when his confidence that he can speak is perfect. 

When a cure of stammering is effected, instead of being 
controlled by nothing but his doubt and fear, the stam- 
merer will have come to realize what are the natural 
forces and normal powers of his own body and mind; his 
comprehension that they are governed by law, that certain 
conditions being fulfilled, certain results are sure to fol- 
low, will give him a solid basis for his confidence and 
will do away with his fear and doubt. 

He will understand that he cannot make himself talk 
by a sheer effort of will, but only by using the organs of 
speech in obedience to the laws they were made to follow. 
Mere mechanical ability, in the correct use of the organs, 
however, will not be sufficient. His training and informa- 
tion must result in his coming to a new realization 
of himself, of the powers at his command, and this 
realization, this "new birth," will enable him to 
control his embarrassment, his fear, his discourage- 
ment; to persist in his efforts hopefully and patiently 
and with increasing power. In his "Talks to teachers 
on psychology," at the end of a most impressive 
chapter on the laws of habit — which I would advise 



HOW SHALL THEY BELIEVE? 221 

every stammerer to read — James says, "New habits 
can be launched on condition of there being new stimuli 
and new excitements. * * * sometimes these are of 
such a critical and revolutionary character that they 
change a man's whole scale of values and system of ideas. 
In such cases, the old order of his habits will be ruptured; 
and. if the new motives are lasting, new habits will be 
formed, and build up in him new or regenerate 'nature.' ' 

Some such stimulus as this, I believe, must affect the 
stammerer's mind before he can build up the new habit of 
speech. The change may come slowly or may come sud- 
denly, but come it must. It may help us to discover 
perhaps what are the actual conditions under which a 
stammerer's confidence develops, and this change of nature 
occurs, if we follow the experience of a stammerer from 
the time of his putting himself under treatment. This 
experience is, I believe, typical of a certain class, though 
not of all. 

The faculty of speech, which is usually acquired uncon- 
sciously during childhood, through imitation of others, 
is, in the stammerer, imperfectly developed or arrested. 
He has come to the years of dawning self-consciousness, 
and to the realization of what this infirmity of his means 
in his future life. Before this, it has caused him much 
misery and mortification, has shut him out from some 
pleasures for which he has longed; but, on the whole, he 
has taken each day as it came, with the happy irrespon- 
sibility of childhood. Now, however, there unfolds be- 
fore him a vision of his future, hampered by this terrible 
inability for self-expression, this lack of the common 
means of communication with his fellows; and with this 
realization comes, in tenfold measure, fear, confusion, 
embarrassment and increasing inability to control his 
speech. 

This is the mental phase of the trouble, and though 
often held in check by favorable physical and social con- 
ditions, its growth is sure, and the stammerer finds him- 
self increasingly confused and controlled by the feeling 
that it is impossible for him to speak. 



222 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

When this stammerer places himself under treatment, 
he probably does so in complete ignorance, not perhaps 
of rules and methods to be followed, but of the causes of 
his trouble and the relation of these rules and exercises 
to these causes; that is, he understands none of the rea- 
sons for the treatment. He comes because he has heard of 
others who have been cured, because he hopes, blindly, 
that somehow he may be cured. 

At the outset of his treatment he is met with the state- 
ment, most emphatically enjoined upon him, that in order 
to make the cure successful, he must believe fully in the 
efficacy of the method employed and in his own ability to 
talk. Now, in all probability, if he is thoroughly honest 
with himself, or at all skilled in the art of knowing his 
own mind, he will realize that his doubt of these things is 
much stronger than his belief in them. It is a far cry 
from the condition of confusion and uncertainty that is 
characteristic of his mind at this period, to this state of 
assurance in his own powers that is enjoined upon him. 
This feeling of doubt is perfectly natural under the cir- 
cumstances. He has nothing in himself, in his past 
experience, nor in his understanding of the causes of his 
difficulty, to give him any reason to feel confident. This 
feeling which so controls him, of being unable to speak, is 
due, partly, I believe, to a physical condition ; is caused by 
sensations coming from the organs of speech themselves, 
due to their continued wrong use, and can only be done 
away with by ceasing their wrong action and adopting 
the right. This, of. course, he does not understand, and 
so this feeling has a far greater influence over him than 
it otherwise would have. 

The first bit of real confidence, of well-founded hope 
that comes to the would-be-cured stammerer, comes prob- 
ably through his faith in his instructor. He must believe 
that he can be cured, but at present he can see no reason 
for believing it except in the experience and assurances 
of one whom he has reason to believe knows more about 
it than he does. He. therefore, resolves to pay as little 



HOW SHALL THEY BELIEVE? 223 

attention as possible to his doubts, and follows up all rules 
and regulations carefully, saying to himself, "I don't 
understand at present how I am going to be cured, but I 
am going to follow every direction and believe that I shall 
come to understand some time, how it is to be done." He 
thus yields his mind, for the time being, as well as his 
body, to the authority and guidance of another. 

The next step in the growth of this confidence that is 
so all important to the stammerer, is the change before 
mentioned, brought about in his feelings by the change 
in physical conditions, due to his drill in breathing and 
vocal exercises and to the measured talking. This drill 
results in freeing him, ordinarily and for the time being, 
from the feeling that it is impossible to speak the words 
that he desires. He now feels that he can speak, he has 
the courage and confidence to try, because he has stopped 
the wrong use of his vocal apparatus and is using it in a 
normal way. This change in him is often so great as to 
seem little short of miraculous to those who do not under- 
stand it. The conditions under which he finds himself 
while at the Institute have something to do with it; as 
the atmosphere is charged with courage and cheer, he 
finds himself surrounded by a sympathy that comes from 
a complete comprehension of his difficulties, and which is 
not pity; and above all this it is the first time in his life 
that he feels his equality with those with whom he comes 
in contact. However, the principal cause of the change 
produced in him, is physical feeling, caused by the right 
use of physical organs; which, translated into mental- 
states, means freedom and courage to speak. 

The trouble in some cases is that our stammerer be- 
comes over-confident. He has secured two of the condi- 
tions that are necessary for true confidence, for thorough 
control over his speech, namely, — he desires, as he never 
has before, to be able to talk naturally, and he has also 
secured the proper exercise of the speaking organs that 
should enable him easily to do this; but the third condi- 
tion is wanting, namely, that comprehension of the prin- 



224 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

ciples upon which the ability to speak is based, which shall 
make it clear to him that it is possible for him in time to 
gain perfect control over his speech. The consent of his 
heart, his will, and of his muscles, is gained but the con- 
sent of the understanding is not his. 

With some temperaments, the vitality and the will 
may be strong enough and the nerves sufficiently steady, 
to enable him to carry the cure through without under- 
standing how it is done, but when the mental phase of 
the trouble is strongly developed, this is necessary in 
order to relax the mind from the state of nervous tension 
and worry, in which it is habitually. One noted writer 
says: "I might relax my body out of the nervous strain 
of fright all day; if my mind insisted upon being fright- 
ened, it would simply be a process of freeing my nerves 
and muscles that they might be made more effectually 
tense by an unbalanced, miserably controlled mind. In 
training to bring body and mind to a more normal state, 
the teacher must often begin with the body only, and 
use his own mind to gently lead the pupil to clearer 
light. Then, when the pupil can strike the equilibrium 
between mind and body, he must be left to acquire the 
habit for himself." This little quotation contains, in a 
nutshell, the whole truth regarding the cure of stammer- 
ing. 

Now, what are some of the truths which a stammerer's 
mind must grasp in order to give him the poise and power 
of mind he needs? 

Probably the first thing he senses is the fact that he 
has an apparatus for making his thoughts vocal. This 
statement may sound rather ridiculous for, of course, he 
knows that he has a throat, tongue, lips, etc.; but in its 
moral use, the control of the speaking organs is not con- 
scious; it is acquired unconsciously during childhood and 
becomes automatic; ask anybody how he talks, what the 
process is, and, on the spur of the moment, he cannot tell 
you. The stammerer must gain the conscious control of 
every separate part of his speech mechanism as well as of 



HOW SHALL THEY BELIEVE? 225 

the whole in its coordinate action. He stammers in his 
mind; he can speak a word correctly and easily if he can 
think of it beforehand as being so spoken; he notices only 
the result of the process, and does not realize that he stam- 
mers because he uses his vocal apparatus wrongly. 

At first he sees little relation between the exercises 
he is required to practice and his ability to say what he 
thinks; but the information he receives concerning the 
structure and mechanism of the organs of speech, together 
with his drill and practice, soon make him conscious of 
the fact that, if he wants to say anything, he must use 
this apparatus in a certain way. 

When he realizes this, each exercise has its meaning 
for him, he understands the reason for it and so he prac- 
tices intelligently, with a definite realization of the end 
in view, and not mechanically. 

Still, although he has grasped the fact that this mech- 
anism of his must be used in a certain way, and knows 
what that way is, he finds that he has not always the 
power to control it; it fails him sometimes when he most 
desires to use it and tries hard to secure it, and he fails 
to understand where the trouble lies. 

This confusion probably arises from the fact that, 
while some of the muscles of this speech apparatus are 
under the direct control of the will, namely, those of the 
respiratory and articulatory organs, others — those in the 
throat that produce the sound or make the breath vocal — 
are not; but are regulated and controlled by the ear. 

One of the greatest bug-bears of the stammerer's life 
is the thought of certain consonants that are particularly 
hard for him to pronounce; try as he will, he cannot get 
them out; they block his utterance most effectually. This 
was my own experience, and it was only after much trial 
and tribulation that it began to dawn upon my mind that, 
although my greatest seeming difficulty was with the con- 
sonants, the real trouble lay in the non-production of tone 
or vowel sound. I often felt, when wanting to say a word, 
that there was nothing there, nothing in the word to say, 

15 



226 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

and I was coming gradually to understand that this was 
because I so choked off the vowel sound that there was 
no vehicle, as it were, on which the consonants could 
come forth, when the stammerers' paper called "The 
Phono-Meter" published by Mr. Lewis, put the whole 
truth of the matter before me, most clearly and con- 
vincingly. 

There is no need for me to go into his exposition of 
the matter in detail. If a stammerer will try to speak 
the vowel sound in a word, the consonants will come of 
themselves; the control of the voice must come through 
the ear. 

This is the natural way of learning to talk; the child 
hears a sound and imitates it, and when a stammerer 
begins to learn to talk connectedly, speaking one word 
after another in regular succession, his utterance must be 
guided by the mental sound or thought of his own voice, 
speaking word after word regularly, measuredly, contin- 
uously. 

Klencke says that a stammerer has lost all feeling 
for measure or rhythm in his speech, together with power 
of speaking one syllable after another in regular succes- 
sion; that "he has no ear for his own voice" in conver- 
sation, and "has no idea of the correct length of vowel 
tone;" and this power he must cultivate. 

It is not sufficient that he gain the power of control- 
ling his breath, of producing sound strongly and correctly, 
or of combining various vowel and consonantal sounds. 
The power to do this, constitutes the material, or part of 
it, with which he builds his conversation, but the plan of 
the structure must be in his head first, before he can 
materialize it; he must have the power of sustained, 
continued, intelligible use of these sounds, and the dynamo 
that supplies the power to make the whole complex organ- 
ism for producing speech work in perfect coordination, is 
the thought of the sound of his voice speaking in a regu- 
lar, even manner. 

Everyone will recognize the truth of this in connec- 
tion with musical ability. A person with a good ear hears 



HOW SHALL THEY BELIEVE? 227 

a tune once and remembers it; hears the sound mentally 
and thus reproduces it with his voice; can play by ear, 
because the tune is sounding in his mind, and his fingers 
seek the notes on his instrument which correspond to 
those of his inward hearing. 

By this training and cultivation of his ear, then, which 
is necessary for the stammerer, we mean the cultivation 
of the capacity for mentally hearing the sound of his own 
voice used in speech. This, of course, all the vocal exer- 
cises and measured talking tends to do, but he needs to 
be conscious of this general fact in order to fall into reli- 
ance upon mechanical method. The psychological fact 
upon which this principle of control of the speech by the 
ear is based is, that, "under normal conditions," as James 
says, "speech goes on from auditory cues; that is, our 
ideas do not innervate our motor centers (for speech) 
directly, but only after arousing the mental sound of the 
words; this is the immediate stimulus to articulation." 

To this truth are due the facts : that a stammerer can 
often speak a word which has given him much difficulty, 
immediately after some one has spoken it for him; that 
the large majority of stammerers can sing, the mind being 
fixed upon the time and measure and not the words; that 
they can read in concert with others, and that poetry is 
easier to read than prose, because of the rhythm. 

When this principle, that the organs of speech are 
innervated and dynamically controlled by the ear, is once 
understood and concertly realized by the stammerer, when 
he has at last consciously experienced the fact, the bug- 
bear of certain consonants, or even vowel sounds that 
are hard for him, will begin to lessen and words and 
sentences will come easily and naturally because the 
sound, the stream on which they are borne along, flows 
forth at will under the guidance of the ear. 

The experience of the truth of this principle will cause 
the stammerer to realize just where the value and neces- 
sity for measured talking comes in. The measure empha- 
sized at first, as it must be, appeals to his ear, which is 



228 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

untrained and dull, and makes an impression upon it, 
that nothing else would. By concentrating his mind on 
this feature, his attention is taken from the stammering 
thought, and at the same time an impression is made upon 
the mind strong enough to be recalled in moments of 
confusion. 

This feeling for measure and rhythm should not only 
be cultivated in his speech, but in all his actions. It will 
help him to relax all nervous tension; will enable him 
to do everything more slowly and deliberately and 
in all this, as well as in the calm, measured talking, he 
will set an example to the nervous, excited and rapid 
world about him, that it sadly needs. In rhythm lies the 
secret of the stammerer's success. 

The effort which he must put forth is, not to "speak 
in this way," but, "to think in this way of speaking." It 
is the control of the mind he is seeking, not, primarily, 
the control of the muscles; he has that easily, when the 
mind is undisturbed. 

When he once realizes this and stops to collect him- 
self, he is able to command the thought of, and feeling for, 
the measured talking and thus, to speak what he desires. 
Here again we quote James in support of this point: he 
says, in speaking of the "effort of attention" or "will" 
necessary to perform any difficult action, "The difficulty 
is mental, not physical * * * it is that of getting the 
idea of the wise action to stay before the mind at all. 
When any strong emotional state is upon us, the tendency 
is for no images, but such as are congruous with it to 
come up. If others offer themselves, they are instantly 
smothered and crowded out," (how well a stammerer 
knows that; try as he will, at times he can think of 
nothing but stammering,) "but the inevitable effect of 
reasonable ideas over others, if they can once get a quiet 
hearing, is to work and work, until they have frozen the 
very vital spark out of all our (nervous) mood." 

In all this growth of his understanding and experience, 
in this obedience to law and in the cultivation of patience 



HOW SHALL THEY BELIEVE? 229 

and will, which obedience demands, the stammerer comes 
gradually to himself; to the consciousness of his own 
powers of body and mind; to the realization of "that 
Power, not himself, that makes for righteousness," — or 
Tightness; and his comprehension of these realities is the 
true basis for an unshaken confidence that he shall suc- 
ceed. In this "new nature," which is the result of his 
new thought and new habits, he recognizes the ultimate 
end of all his efforts to overcome his stammering. The 
end is not as he had thought, simply to be able to talk 
as others do, but to be free to develop and grow into the 
full possibilities of his power. 

The stammerer may come to this realization slowly, 
or it may come to him quickly; if he is left to work it 
out for himself, it will come slowly; if he is able to avail 
himself of the instruction and experience of others who 
know the way, his solution of the difficulty is liable to be 
a quick one. Experience and scientific knowledge con- 
cerning this disability are rapidly advancing, and with the 
spread of this knowledge, light is breaking in on many 
lives that have been lived under a cloud, dark indeed, in 
which, heretofore, there was to be seen no silver lining. 



A STAMMERER'S ADVICE TO STAMMERERS 

Stammering is a lack of due control over the organs of 
speech; a lack of coordination between the mind and the 
organs of articulation, lack of self-confidence, lack of 
will-power and lack of determination. It is often said 
that stammering is a habit, without giving it any further 
thought and consideration. The stammerer's defect may, 
at its beginning, have been purely a habit, the result of 
mocking others thus addicted, until, gradually, the habit 
becomes real and firmly acquired, rapidly developing into 
the mental phase — confirmed stammering. Stammering is 
an affliction which belongs to a group of various speech 
impediments, having its seat in the so-called, speech center 
of the brain, manifesting itself by spasmodic or convulsive 
effort. The cause of stammering has, until of late, been 
greatly neglected ; even in medical literature a treatise upon 
this subject is rarely found. Stammering is manifested 
through the spasmodic or convulsive action of the muscles 
of the respiratory, vocal and articulative apparatus. These 
spasmodic contractions may be divided into two classes: 
The first are a series of short spasmodic contractions, rap- 
idly following each other; the second are a series of long 
and protracted spasmodic contractions. Occasionally these 
two forms of spasmodic contraction may be found in one 
and the same individual, alternating constantly. Regarding 
the spasmodic action of the respiratory organs, it might be 
remarked, that no stammerer has a normal respiration. 
This abnormity of action of the respiratory organs is 
sometimes not noticeable; sensitive and delicate instru- 
ments being required to demonstrate its presence. 
When speaking, we must take short and deep inhalations, 



a stammerer's advice to stammerers 231 

we thereupon slowly and gradually exhale. In a normally 
speaking person, the diaphragm rapidly descends upon 
inspiration, and slowly rises during expiration. This regu- 
lar action of the diaphragm is interrupted by spasmodic 
or convulsive contraction, in almost every stammerer. As, 
for instance, if the stammerer is about to inhale the 
necessary air required for his speech, a sudden spasmodic 
contraction of the diaphragmatic muscles takes place, 
which arrests its course and holds it in the position it had 
taken during expiration, thereby preventing free inspira- 
tion. Sometimes, when taking a fresh supply of air, the 
diaphragm does not descend quickly enough, but is inter- 
rupted upon its downward course by a number of spas- 
modic contractions, which tend to prevent a full and satis- 
factory inspiration. It is often found, also, that during 
expiration, the diaphragm fails to properly do its function; 
either it rapidly contracts, and, with one muscular effort 
expels all the previously inhaled air, so as to leave the 
lungs without the necessary supply of air; or, it remains 
in a tight and stationary inspiratory position, the voice 
and articulatory organs, meanwhile, because there is no 
air furnished them, vainly endeavoring to do their func- 
tion; or, lastly, the diaphragm, at first slowly starts to 
ascend, but is interrupted during its upward course by 
various short inspiratory and expiratory spasmodic actions 
of the muscles, which tend to bar the regular flow of air 
from passing the vocal cords. Even should the stammerer 
gain control over his respiratory organs, he would still 
have to contend with the disobedience of his voice and 
articulatory organs. 

The closing muscles of the vocal cords are easily sub- 
jected to spasmodic contraction, which tend to press the 
true and the false vocal cords and the arytenoid cartilages 
tightly together, thereby spasmodically preventing the 
phonation of the vocal cords and the free passage of air. 
Very severe stammerers often have high-pitched voices 
which defect is caused by the too high tension of 
the vocal cords. Many stammerers are subject to 



232 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

spasmodic contractions of the articulatory muscles. 
The above described spasmodic movements of the 
the respiratory and articulatory muscles are not the only 
involuntary muscular movements the stammerer has to 
contend with. In support of this fact, it must be said 
that the speech of every stammerer is accompanied by 
various so-called external manifestations. The spasmodic 
action of the stammerer's voice-producing organs, during 
respiration and articulation, unite in bringing about the 
most varied combinations of contortion. 

There are, however, stammerers who are obliged to suffer 
more under respiratory contortion; others who are mainly 
afflicted with spasmodic action of the vocal apparatus; 
and finally, others who are more troubled with spasmodic 
action and convulsive contortion of the articulatory mus- 
cles. The above mentioned manifestations of stammer- 
ing are in accordance with the individual peculiarities of 
the nervous system, temperament and severity of the 
case. These manifestations consist in contortions of 
the muscles of the brow, the forehead, the extremi- 
ties and even the muscles of the lower body. Some 
stammerers, while speaking, draw and contort their facial 
muscles out of all semblance, in a most grotesque and awe- 
inspiring manner ; or, they will throw their head back and 
forth, throw their arms wildly about them, stamp with their 
feet, or shake their entire body. These peculiar mani- 
festations often increase in violence so much as to cause 
the stammerer, while speaking, to sway as if to fall over. 
It is a well known fact that most stammerers, when 
singing or whispering, have very little or no difficulty 
at all. If, however, one stammers when singing or whis- 
pering, we may know that it is a very exceptional and 
severe case, but may be overcome by patient and persistent 
treatment. The reason most persons do not stammer when 
whispering is, because the vocal cords are relaxed and 
under no tension, the voice-producing muscles are resting 
which serves to remove a great cause. Singing is made 
easy for the stammerer, because of the measured notes, 
also the rythmical vibrations of the vocal cords. 



A STAMMERER S ADVICE TO STAMMERERS 233 

Stammering is caused in many ways; it is easily caused 
in a person who has a very hasty temper; or, who 
has a predisposed tendency toward stammering. Stam- 
mering is easily acquired through mimicry. It is also 
not very infrequently caused by fright, feverish diseases, 
injuries to the head, etc. Many stammerers begin to 
speak before they have formed a mental survey as to 
the sense and meaning of what they are about to express 
in words. It may sound incredible; but, nevertheless, it 
is true and not infrequently happens that the stammerer 
begins to talk under great difficulty, not knowing what he 
is about to say, and without the slightest idea what words 
to use. Others think with such rapidity, when speaking, 
that their thoughts are already dwelling upon a different 
subject, while their vocal organs are yet engaged upon 
the original subject. It is very important that this con- 
dition of mental abstraction should be overcome during 
treatment. Many a stammerer would be cured, were not 
his defect looked upon as being simply mechanical — the 
mental phase of his affliction being entirely overlooked. 

It is a fact that among stammerers, we find by far the 
greater number belong to the male sex. This proportion- 
ate rate holds good for all speech defects. This may 
be explained by the circumstances, that the female tongue 
is endowed with greater flexibility, fluency and readiness 
of action than is that organ in the masculine sex, not- 
withstanding the fact that men are the stronger physically , 

In connection with stammering are associated, in most 
cases, various manifestations of an emotional character, 
such as : bashfulness, timidity, depressed spirits, lack of 
self-confidence and lack of determination. These emotional 
manifestations are not the cause of stammering; instead 
they are gradually brought about and developed as the 
stammerer becomes aware of the tremendous restraint his 
defect exerts over him. It is also true that these emotional 
manifestations in return are a great reacting agency, 
and serve to aggravate the existing trouble. This being 
true, we find that many stammerers are able to speak 



234 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

much better, when unobserved and alone, than when 
in the presence of others. When greatly agitated and 
under great excitement or depression, such persons are 
often totally unable to produce articulate and intelligible 
sound. This may often be noticed in persons who do 
not stammer, should they suddenly be confronted with any- 
thing of a humiliating, perplexing, or dangerous nature 
— they would, momentarily, lose control over their vocal 
organs, hesitate and falter. All the above-mentioned 
traits and manifestations of the stammerer should re- 
ceive special and careful attention, in order to success- 
fully combat with the affliction. 

Among stammerers are to be found very bright and intel- 
ligent persons, with noble hearts, often misunderstood or 
wrongfully judged, because others are not acquainted nor 
familiar with their ways and actions, nor with the nature 
of their impediment. In the above description of stammer- 
ing, we have refrained from defining the numerous names, 
terms, styles, etc., of stammering; but have discussed the 
subject under the common term, stammering. We have 
also endeavored to describe only the most prevalent and 
severe forms of stammering and stuttering. 

It is an impossibility to lay down a certain and unfail- 
ing plan or process of cure for stammering that would 
meet every requirement of each individual case; its symp- 
toms, cause, peculiarities, manifestations, severity and 
nature. Just as nearly every other disease or sickness 
appears and manifests itself with certain phenomena and 
peculiarities, differing in each separate case, so also does 
stammering appear with certain phenomena of speech, 
manifestations of a physical or mental character, etc. We 
will, therefore, consider only the most essential points and 
rules that must be followed and observed in the cure of 
nearly every speech impediment. Our object is to gain 
control over the organs which serve in the production of 
articulate speech. This we accomplish through a series 
of careful and persistent disciplinary exercises, for the 
purpose of gradually compelling the organs to do their 



A STAMMERER S ADVICE TO STAMMERERS 235 

function with ease and without failure, in obedience to the 
speaker's wish. 

When striving to overcome his trouble, the stammerer 
should, before all, cultivate a cheerful disposition and 
enter upon his task with a feeling that success must follow 
— providing he does his part correctly and strictly adheres 
to rules and instructions given. By doing this, the stam- 
merer may cure himself entirely or may lessen the 
difficulty to a great extent. It must, however, be said 
that but very few stammerers are possessed with the 
necessary qualities : will-power, determination, patience 
and perseverance, so indispensable to a self-cure. Stam- 
merers lacking these qualities should, by all means, strive 
to enter some reliable institution, where their special case 
would receive consideration during treatment, and which 
would greatly facilitate matters. 

First of all it is absolutely necessary that the stammerer 
gain control of his respiratory organs. Therefore, he must 
practice respiration as it should be practiced during the act 
of speaking. He should take short, deep inspirations, fol- 
lowed by slow and gradual expiration. After gaining a 
certain control over the respiratory organs, in this manner, 
he should combine voice practice with slow expiration. Any 
tone or sound may be chosen for this purpose. After tak- 
ing a short breath, in the manner described above, the 
chosen sound should be emitted in a whisper, thereupon 
letting the full voice follow. 

There are two distinct methods of breathing, — ab- 
dominal and the thoracic. In abdominal breathing the mus- 
cles of the abdomen in connection with the diaphragm, 
which becomes arched during forcible inspiration, 
serve in the expulsion of the air from the lungs. 
In thoracic breathing the ribs and the walls of the 
chest mainly serve in the expulsion of the air from 
the lungs. This form of breathing practiced by women 
who tightly corset the waist may be called shallow breath- 
ing, as in this manner only half of the lung capacity is ac- 
tually called into play, the lower part of the lungs remain- 
ing inactive and filled with stagnant air. The stammerer 



236 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

should learn to master the abdominal mode of breathing 
before every other exercise herein mentioned, thereby- 
gaining control over the action of the diaphragm. 

Breathing exercises are not only essential in establishing 
fluent speech, but are also good and very beneficial to the 
stammerer's well-being. All the air we inhale serves to 
supply the blood with oxygen, without which — should it be 
denied us only a few minutes — we could not exist. 
Take these breathing exercises, if possible, only in a pure 
atmosphere, preferably in the open air; fill the lungs 
to their utmost capacity, retaining it for a few seconds 
until all the oxygen it contains is absorbed by 
the blood, then repeat the process. Care, however, 
should be taken by the beginner not to overdo the exer- 
cise, as it leads to dizziness and a rush of blood to the 
head. These breathing exercises should be indulged in 
daily with perfect freedom as often as desired — the oftener 
the better. 

Breathing exercises tend to increase the expan- 
sion and activity of the lungs, the blood is furnished 
an abundant supply of oxygen and increases its circula- 
tion, the complexion becomes clearer, pale cheeks assume 
a rosy glow and the entire body becomes rejuvenated. To 
gain control over the vocal cords and make them subject 
to the will, practice persistently exercises tending to gain 
the end desired. 

The stammerer should, after taking a deep inspiration, 
quietly and slowly expire, giving the articulating organs 
the position they would take when uttering the sound ah, 
then increase this quiet expiration gradually to a whis- 
per, thereupon by degrees letting it assume loud and full 
voice. In this manner the vocal cords will approach one 
toward the other slowly and at varying degrees. In 
ordinary quiet breathing the vocal cords are wide apart; 
when whispering, they are in closer proximity. This exer- 
cise must be continued throughout the entire alphabet 
until the correct sound of every letter is completely 
mastered. After having mastered each letter, the stam- 



A STAMMERER S ADVICE TO STAMMERERS 237 

merer should begin to utter simple words and syllables, 
gradually increasing the scope as he gains confidence by 
adding more and more complicated and difficult words. 
He should practice the last named exercise before a mirror, 
thereby enabling him to observe and control his articu- 
lating organs — the tongue, lips and lower jaw. When 
undergoing these exercises, he should constantly observe 
the correct mode of respiration, taking care not to inhale 
too much air. 

Some stammerers, when about to speak, suddenly force 
a quantity of air out of their lungs, at the same time com- 
pressing or contracting the diaphragm and the abdomen, 
thereby causing, through frequent repetition of the act, 
very annoying pains in the abdomen, which often leaves 
the sufferer in an exhausted condition and great mental 
depression. Therefore, when undergoing breathing exer- 
cises, this condition should be prevented by constantly 
keeping the abdomen well out and only letting it contract 
in proportion to the air leaving the lungs during the 
act of speaking, which is gradual and slow. He should 
consciously utter every letter, syllable or word plainly and 
distinctly; only by degrees and patient perseverance will 
he acquire the confidence and ability to utter every word 
mechanically and without fear of faltering, as does a 
normally speaking person. 

After having to a great extent mastered the correct 
articulation of letters, syllables and words, practice to 
speak short sentences, gradually increasing their length. 
When exercising the speaking of sentences after taking a 
short but deep inspiration, speak from ten to twelve words 
with one expiration, taking care to speak them fluently 
and without interruption. Learn to think clearly and 
mentally frame every word and sentence before articu- 
lating. 

After having gained due control over his respirative and 
articulative organs, the stammerer may converse in a 
free and fluent manner as in ordinary conversation. 

As every case — or nearly every case of stammering — 



238 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

is acquired in early childhood, between the ages of three 
and eight years, parents should constantly watch their chil- 
dren and teach them to utter each word slowly and dis- 
tinctly, thereby preventing a possible speech impediment in 
its very beginning. How often do we hear parents laugh 
and jest over the peculiar speech and mutilation of words 
which their child utters in its innocent or playful way, 
instead of correcting it and teaching it proper articulation 
from the very start. Beware ! ere long you may regret 
this neglect on your part toward your child and cause it 
to lead a life of misery and constant humliation in later 
years — you may have allowed your child to become a con- 
firmed stammerer. 

The foregoing is only the merest outline of the most 
essential points and rules to be followed by a stammerer 
seeking a cure for his affliction. Every -stammerer 
should, while striving to effect a self-cure, try to 
find out which organs are the most obstinate and stub- 
born in his particular case, and accordingly give special 
attention and exercise to those particular organs. The 
cure of stammering demands a great deal of determina- 
tion, energy, patience and perseverance. It must, how- 
ever, be said that without special aid there are very few 
stammerers who would be able to effect a self-cure, as 
nearly everyone is unable to discipline himself. The 
proper insight and knowledge of the correct and incorrect, 
normal and abnormal, function of his respiratory, vocal 
and articulatory organs is necessary if success is ex- 
pected to crown his efforts. 



HELPFUL HINTS FOR HOME CURE 

The terms stuttering and stammering once used 
synonymously to designate nearly every kind of defective 
speech, outside that of lisping, have, of late, for scientific 
purposes, become divorced, and the stutterer is now dis- 
tinguished from the stammerer by the rapid repetition of 
the initial consonant of the word he is trying to speak. 
Thus Charles Lamb stuttered, when he spoke of the Duke 
of Cumberland as the Duke of Cu-Cumberland, and when 
being interviewed by a very boorish individual, who 
blurted out, "I should have known you, Mr. Lamb, by your 
stuttering," he rather astonished him by replying, "Oh, th- 
th-that's not me-me-me, th-th-that's my b-b-brother." 

In ' stammering, on the other hand, the jaw becomes 
rigid, while the muscles of the face twitch spasmodically 
— even the eyes taking part in the convulsions ; but no 
sound is emitted until the glottis is at length forced open, 
and the words shot forth, similar to the way water is 
discharged from a bottle, if the latter be held upside down. 

Sometimes the two afflictions co-exist side by side, which 
complicates the case, and renders it correspondingly diffi- 
cult of treatment. 

Some maintain that stammering is the effect of stutter- 
ing, but this, I am inclined to doubt; though it is very 
obvious, stuttering may — and, indeed often does — drift into 
stammering. On the whole, the former is a physical habit, 
while the latter is chiefly psychical. The stammerer 
sees several words ahead of the one he is going to stumble 
at — possibly a compound such as str — it is pictured on his 
vivid imagination, and he searches quickly for a syn- 
onym. This gives him an appearance of indecision, and 
an air of flightiness. At another time the same word 



240 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

will give him no occasion for concern, nor for that mat- 
ter will any word, when he is alone; for he will read 
aloud to himself, or address an imaginary audience, with- 
out the slightest hesitation in his speech; but let him be- 
come conscious of another person listening, though it may 
be in the adjoining room, and it is certain he will stammer 
on the spot. This proves, beyond a doubt, that what at 
first was a physical habit has at length become mental. 

Not until within comparatively late years, have hopes 
of anything like a rational treatment and permanent cure 
been held out to the helpless sufferer from this distressing 
malady. 

The secret of one good system — if secret existed — was to 
teach the stammerer to speak consciously, as other people 
speak unconsciously, and thus conquer nature by obeying 
her, for though to be conscious of the cause of every 
articulate sound which is made, even in a short sentence, 
is a physical impossibility, yet a general watchfulness and 
attention to certain broad rules, enables nature to accom- 
plish results. 

To say that want of intelligence is the cause of stam- 
mering, is to show a lamentable lack of it, or else supreme 
ignorance of history on the part of the asserter. Doubt- 
less, a boy may be dull and volatile, and a stammerer like- 
wise; but post hoc is not always propter hoc here; for 
more often he shoots ahead of his fellows, when once 
he regains fluent speech. I make bold to assert that the 
brain of the stammerer is inferentially of finer texture 
than the average, which very fact makes him more sus- 
ceptible to the malady, not to mention Demosthenes and 
the ancients, but to come down to the times of men still 
living. Curran, the Irish orator; Charles Lamb, the 
charming essayist; Martin Tupper, the poet; Charles 
Kingsley, preacher, reformer and poet, and others I could 
mention, eminent in literature, statesmanship and divinity 
— some of whom were under Hunt's treatment, contem- 
poraneously with myself — have all been thus afflicted. 

The fact is, the stuttering child is sent away to school 



HELPFUL HINTS FOR HOME CURE 24I 

before he has yet learned to talk correctly ; is it little won- 
der, therefore, that with his mind diverted from his work 
by his affliction, and the cruel working of thoughtless 
schoolmates, with the vital fluid, that should go to build 
up and nourish the boy, used up in the miserable spasms 
of misarticulation, is it any wonder, I ask, that both body 
and mind should become to a certain degree stunted in 
growth ? 

The amount of ignorance with regard to the treatment 
of stammering existing, even among well informed people, 
is amazing. Children are told, "You can help it if you 
like. You do it on purpose/' as if they were not writhing 
with shame every time they open their mouths. As if 
it was not torture enough to see the rest of the world 
walking along a road which they cannot find, and are 
laughed at for not finding, while those who walk proudly 
along cannot tell how they themselves keep on it. It was 
said of the writer's defect, when a youth, by a pert miss, 
"I believe it is simply affectation." Little did she know 
of the agony such affectation cost him — if she had known, 
she would have sympathized more and criticised less. 

The situation in which a stammerer sometimes finds 
himself placed, would be truly ludicrous, if it were not 
so painful. M. Colombat tells of two of his pupils, who 
left the institute one day for a stroll together along the 
boulevard. Seeing a tobacconist's shop, they stepped in 
to procure some cigars. The one desiring the cigars, 
in asking for them, began to stutter. It so happened 
that the tobacconist himself, was also a stutterer, and find- 
ing a friend in affliction, commenced sympathizing with 
him. This led to the other pupil's joining in, and the trio 
were stuttering together. Now the worthy store-keeper, 
wholly unprepared for this additional recruit, naturally in- 
ferred the two had come for the sole purpose of "guying" 
him. Seizing a cane, he was about to belabor them 
heartily, when fortunately Colombat, or some one from 
the institute, happened by, and, seeing the dilemma, ex- 
plained matters. 

16 



242 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

I remember myself once calling on an English Bishop, 
(lately deceased), with regard to the ordination of a young 
friend. I approached the palace with no little trepidation 
and rang the bell, which seemed to toll out loud as the bell 
of his great cathedral near by. A liveried footman an- 
swered the summons, and for the life of me I could not 
say "Is the Bishop within?" The contortions of my face 
were doubtless frightful. As I recall the interview now, 
I can see the flunkey turning his head rapidly from side 
to side, to avoid exploding with laughter in my very face. 
This did not mend matters. Finally I articulated some- 
thing and sent in my card. I was informed his lordship 
would be at liberty in an hour. I walked away mortified 
and dejected. The more I reflected on it the more 
chagrined and mad with myself I became. This pique 
so braced me that on my return I spoke without hesita- 
tion; and the Bishop never knew from that day to this, 
that he had been holding quite a lengthy conversation, 
giving and taking, with a severe stammerer, who, an hour 
before, could not control his speech organs sufficiently to 
inquire if he, the Bishop, were at home. 

Charles Kingsley told a friend of the writer's that, when 
commanded to preach before the Queen and the Prince 
Consort, — which command, as one of H. M. chaplains, he 
was at any time liable to receive, — he was usually thrown 
into great consternation until eventually the mental 
stimulus — for it would never do to stutter before the 
Queen — carried him successfully through. 

All this goes to prove that stammering is due to a 
temporary loss of mental control, and consequently the 
control of those organs governed by the mind ; and further, 
that under certain conditions of excitement, the will re- 
gains its power of control though the strain is apt to be 
followed by a rebound when the excitement is over — 
leaving the subject in a worse condition than before. The 
stimulus is the same that enables an actor to play better 
to a crowded house. 

How, then, can we reach the present seat of the trouble? 



HELPFUL HINTS FOR HOME CURE 243 

By seeking the point where the physical habit was first 
induced; by teaching the patient the true art of speaking, 
and to this end bring his will-power to our aid. We all 
know the power exercised by the mind over the body, and 
the converse, and the knowledge of this interaction we 
must diligently use, if we be successful. 

Volition — like attention, concentration, and other mental 
habits — is capable of cultivation, and this must needs be 
impressed on the mind of the stammerer. As theologians 
speak of the expulsive power of a new affectation in the 
religious world, so also may we speak with equal truth of 
the expulsive power of a new affection, in the domain of 
defective speech. The sufferer should acquire, therefore, 
the habit of willing strongly, energy — a purpose once 
formed and then death or victory !" 

Having given the mind its due place as the exciting 
cause of stammering, we will proceed to examine the 
physical aspect of the latter, and its primary or proximate 
cause. 

The man learned to stammer when a child, as others 
learned to speak plainly, by unconcious imitation. The 
child, of course, must have been much in the company of 
a stammerer at this tender age. Doubtless the normal 
speaking of others would have counteracted the habit, but 
for a predisposition which made the habit, once acquired, 
too strong for the child to break away from by its own 
efforts. A little help and care at this time, might save 
years of suffering. Predisposing causes would be a dis- 
turbance of the nervous system, or the lowering of vitality 
caused by many of the diseases incidental to childhood. 
And I may say right here, parents and teachers of chil- 
dren, cannot be too careful in speaking before the very 
young, not alone in subject matter, but also in manner 
of saying it; ready to correct in them any hesitation, or 
little lisp which now sounds so pretty, making the child 
speak slowly after them, that it may catch their clear 
and deliberate articulation, and thus check an incipient 
stammer from growing into a defect, which may mean 
for the sufferer a life's agony and a life's failure. 



244 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

Want of coordination, of harmonious working together 
of the organs of articulation with those of vocalization, is 
the proximate cause of stammering. In singing, intoning 
and rhythmical speaking — where the breathing is regular, 
and the flow of sound is sustained — the affliction is rarely 
to be detected; but in the abrupt transition which occurs 
in ordinary converse, the two sets of organs become, to 
use a hackneyed simile, like a balky team, do not work to- 
gether, refusing to respond to the will, the energies oi 
which become entirely dissipated through over-anxiety, or 
the fear of looking ridiculous. To restore this harmony, 
must be the aim of all rational treatment. To expect to 
cure a confirmed stammerer (I use the term in its broad 
sense, as comprising both the stutterer and stammerer,) by 
following a set of written rules is, I apprehend, chimerical ; 
though much relief may be obtained by the exercise of the 
reasoning faculties and volition. The fact is, the 
idiosyncracies of the patient must be studied. It is im- 
possible, therefore, to lay down rules which will meet 
every case. I recommend, therefore, at whatever cost, 
and without loss of time, that the stammerer place himself 
under treatment in an institution where his particular 
case will receive the needed attention. He will there gain 
that confidence in his ability to talk, which is, in itself, 
more than half the battle. Nevertheless, until he can do 
this, by reading and following the hints he will find in 
books published on this subject, he may with watchful- 
ness and attention, cure himself. 

The fact that he can sing before others, or speak plainly 
when alone, demonstrates he has no organic defect. Why, 
therefore, cannot he speak as correctly on all occasions? 
Some would answer, that his failure is because of nervous- 
ness, and they are right in a measure, but though all stam- 
merers are nervous, the converse, it is plain, does not 
hold good, that all nervous people stammer. The fact is, 
that this nervousness, now the effect of stammering, has 
become, in a great measure, the cause also. 

In normal speech, the brain intimates the command, 



HELPFUL HINTS FOR HOME CURE 245 

when the organs of voice and speech immediately and 
automatically respond. With the stammerer, however, the 
case is different. Long misure of the organs has so im- 
pressed the habit on the brain, that under certain condi- 
tions — fear, shame, or over-eagerness — his very thoughts 
are cast in a stammering mould. The mind suggests the 
halting word, and the physical apparatus can respond 
with no other. He should be trained by vocal and other 
exercises, to picture forth the correct word, and the organ 
will at length automatically respond with it. 

In the face of this discordant state of the nervous sys- 
tem, it is, perhaps, as well not to scare the sufferer by 
flashing before him all the delicate mechanism set at 
work by the will in the production of voice and speech. 
It should suffice to explain to him simply, that sound is 
produced by sending a column of air from the lungs up 
through the trachea (windpipe) into the larynx — the 
cartilagineous box situated at the top of the windpipe, the 
front of which is that protuberance in the throat common- 
ly known as "Adam's apple" — to be vibrated by the vocal 
cords on either side of the glottis into tone, similar to 
that tone, which is produced by the vibrations of the 
strings of a violin or harp, but infinitely more delicate 
in modulation, as the instrument itself is more wonderful 
in construction. 

The sounds which primitive man imitated from nature 
in the infancy of the race, such as the cry of animals, the 
soughing of the wind, and the rush of water — much as 
children imitate the evolutionized words of their parents 
to-day — were the beginning of language. As the needs 
became greater, more defined word-signs became neces- 
sary, and these vocal sounds were gradually modified by 
the action of the soft-palate, the tongue, the lips and the 
teeth into the conventional speech of today. It is a fact 
that the tongue has little to do with speech, however much 
it may have to do with Disarticulation, for well authenti- 
cated cases have occurred where speech was but little 
affected by the removing of that much maligned member. 
This by way of parenthesis. 



246 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

Now, to bring these interdependent organs of voice and 
speech into harmonious subordination to the will, after 
the long revolt caused by stammering, constant and pains- 
taking exercises are, of course, necessary. Let the pupil 
learn first to breathe correctly — though faulty breathing is 
an effect of stammering as well as a cause, like nervous- 
ness, yet this practice will not only strengthen the muscles 
of respiration — which are sure to be weak in his case — 
but will conduce greatly to his general health. Therefore, 
in his walks, he should exercise in long and short breath- 
ing. By long breathing, I mean a steady, deep 
inspiration, filling the lungs to their full capacity, at 
the same time pressing the diaphragm firmly with the tips 
of the fingers, then slowly exhale. After practising this 
for some ten minutes, take a succession of short 
inspirations until the chest is fully expanded; then expire 
in like manner. This pressing on the diaphragm gives 
the conscious use of this important muscle, which is 
the very bellows of the lungs, tending to bring it more 
under the control of the will. The energetic contraction 
of the diaphragm is necessary to firm, clear and resonant 
sound; strengthen it, and the other muscles of the chest 
and torso, by all manly exercises. Hard riding and row- 
ing are good exercises for expanding the lungs and oxy- 
genating the blood; while boxing and fencing are inval- 
uable; for, besides bringing every muscle into play, they 
will teach the stammerer the habit of looking a man 
squarely in the face, a thing few stammerers are able to 
do. Breasting the bar is a good exercise for strengthen- 
ing the diaphragm and abdominal muscles, besides the 
muscles of the neck, all of which are used in powerful 
speaking. Should he not belong to a gymnasium, he can 
readily improvise a horizontal bar — which should be fixed 
high enough from the ground, so that he may hang by the 
hands without other support. Springing up, let him seize 
the bar with the palms of his hands, towards him, and 
draw himself up until he can look over the bar, afterwards 
letting himself down to the full length of his arms, with- 



HELPFUL HINTS FOR HOME CURE 247 

out suffering his feet to touch the ground. After he has 
done this a few times, he will become aware of this weak 
spot by a peculiar sensation in the region of the 
diaphragm. 

Though talking with the teeth closed has been recom- 
mended by some, I doubt whether it can be practiced by 
all with impunity ; and for the following reasons : First, it 
is a trick, and like all tricks which are opposed to the 
normal use of the articulating apparatus, it is liable to lead 
to a reaction when its novelty has worn away. Secondly, 
there is a danger of its leading to a stammer of the jaw 
< — that frightful lockjaw — which is one of the worst forms 
of stammering. On the other hand, I would recommend, 
rather, an exaggerated use of the jaw, especially when 
reading aloud, as helping to strengthen the jaw muscles, 
and at the same time giving the vowel sound — which 
should be full and round from the bottom of a full 
lung — a chance for free emission. The jaw should be as 
"free and strong as when he is masticating his dinner." 
Let him study, say the plays of Shakespeare, and read 
aloud from them daily, with tight upper-lip, and loose, flex- 
ible lower jaw; taking a full breath at the commencement 
of each sentence, and sounding well the final consonant of 
of each word, keeping up the stream of sound, and pressing 
the diaphragm, whilst holding the body perfectly upright. 
It is good practice for the articulating organs and the 
breath, to vary the vocal reading with loud whispering — 
which is simply articulated breath, in the place of arti- 
culated voice. The trend of this is to quicken the patient's 
insight into the formation of the consonants, while the 
exercise can be indulged in with comparative silence. 
When speaking to others, he should avoid all haste, even 
pardonable eagerness, throwing into the stream of sound 
a slight musical intonation, at the same time looking his 
auditor squarely in the face. 

I remarked, "with tight upper-lip;" this will give 
him command of that restive organ — which he finds ever 
ready to fly into a spasmodic flutter, as well as of those 



248 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

muscles of the throat and face, with which it is so inti- 
mately connected. If he doubt this, let him strip his shirt 
collar down and lay bare his throat, then tighten his 
upper lip against his teeth (hiding the red). Note how the 
muscles on both sides of his neck will immediately fly out 
in response. 

The stammerer should endeavor to cultivate Goldsmith's 
happy knack of "hoping," that his cure is not impossible, 
Dut certain, if he sufficiently desires it. He should avoid 
brooding on his defect, for this destroys energy and 
weakens self-control. Morbid self-introspection should 
be eschewed, and the mind lifted off selfishness and 
self-seeking, by keeping it and the body usefully em- 
ployed: "for whensoever he begins thinking about 
himself he will surely find the dumb-devil of stammer- 
ing close at his elbow. He should rigidly eschew all 
evil imaginations and base habits, which tend to pertur- 
bation of the mind. Temperance, both in eating and 
drinking, is essential, and whosoever may use tobacco with 
impunity, the stammerer can not — it affects the brain and 
nerve centers too mischeviously. It will be seen, there- 
fore, that in order to bring the nerves and muscles under 
the dominion of the will, the first and nearest duty of 
the afflicted one, above all men, is to cultivate the mentem 
sanam in corpore sano. To this end he should rigidly 
eschew all hot slops and cold ices, and every indulgence 
which will injure his wind and his digestion. He should 
study and strive, as far as possible, to obey those laws of 
health, which are the laws of nature, which are the laws 
of God." Finally, to follow Kingsley's advice, "Let him 
learn again the art of speaking, and having learned, think 
before he speaks, and say his say calmly and with self- 
respect, as a man who does not talk at random and has a 
right to a courteous answer. Let him fix in his mind, that 
there is nothing on earth to be ashamed of, save doing 
wrong, and no being to be feared, save Almighty God; 
and so go on making the best of the body and soul, which 
heaven has given him, and I will warrant him that, in a 
few months, his old bad habits of stammering will lie 



A LAY SERMON 249 

behind him like an ugly and all but impossible dream, 
when one awakes in the morning." 



A LAY SERMON 

"And they bring unto Him one that was deaf, and 
had an impediment in his speech, and they beseech Him 
to put His hand upon him. And He took him aside from 
the multitude, and put His fingers into his ears, 
and He spit, and touched his tongue; and looking up 
to Heaven, He sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that 
is, Be opened. And straightway his ears were opened, and 
the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain." 
— Mark VII; 32-35. 

The blind, deaf, dumb, lame and diseased of the present 
day, worn and discouraged after years of effort and ex- 
penditure, hopeless of securing deliverance from the bond- 
age of their infirmities, look backward with longing eyes 
to the simplicity and instantaneousness of cure described 
in the New Testament. 

It is not an evidence of ignorant credulity to accept 
the instances of direct and instantaneous healing which 
the records of the past present, and which occur even in 
our own day. To the thoughtful and enlightened mind, 
these occurrences sometimes denominated miraculous, are 
proof of the supremacy of the higher forces, will, intellect, 
faith and love; light, health, freedom and life. One sect 
among us does well to especially advocate this truth. But 
let the Christian Scientist not forget that this view is 
held no less nobly and consistently by those whose lives 
are spent in painstaking study of the construction and 
composition of the human frame, and the effect of certain 
substances and conditions introduced when an abnormal 
state exists. Hospital and asylum; scientist, surgeon, 
physician and nurse ; catnip tea and quinine — all these are 
manifestations of the power which makes for health and 
sanity as well as for righteousness. 



250 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

"Nature hates peeping," Emerson tells us, yet why are 
her children born with such an insatiable desire to know 
to the utmost her secrets ? "If a man should consider the 
nicety of the passage of a piece of bread down his throat, 
he would starve." True, doubtless; yet to make sure that 
this passage of bread does not remain a secret, mysterious 
process, it is sometimes obstructed and suffering ensues; 
Nature's manner of calling her children to closer acquain- 
tance and friendship, for she would have us to be, not 
merely blind recipients of benefits, but men and women 
understanding and appreciating her gifts. It was not 
meant that this journey of life should be made with the 
least possible amount of trouble to ourselves, but that each 
step should be, in a measure, understood, and no by-path 
left unexplored or mountain of difficulty unascended. Not 
that we should go out of our way. For many the path 
leads straight onward, and given a plain duty, it is folly 
to turn aside in order to gratify mere idle curiosity. But 
if a man halt in his walk, speech, or digestion, in his 
thinking or living, let him know that Nature is whispering, 
"Understand me." 

In an enumeration of the many ills to which flesh (and 
mind) are heir, stammering should have no unimport- 
ant place. Often referred to jokingly, it is, in reality, a 
serious affliction, affecting the physical, mental, and moral 
life of the sufferer. The physical life — for the unnatural 
effort necessary to speech perverts the nervous force, in 
severe cases weakening and deranging the entire system. 
The mental life — because speech is so truly the other half 
of thought, that, denied adequate natural expression, the 
mind ceases its healthful working, and clearness and ex- 
actness of thought grow difficult. The moral life — for the 
almost inevitable despondency and loss of ambition at- 
tending the disease — weaken character, and the lack of 
healthful and rational intercourse with one's fellows, tends 
to harden and embitter the soul. The looker-on at life 
sees the faults of others, and often his own also, through 
a microscope. 



A LAY SERMON 25 1 

If speech were not entirely natural to man, it would 
be the most difficult process in the world to acquire. The 
child does, indeed, learn to talk, yet it is not external ac- 
complishment grafted into the life, but a natural activity 
of the body. Helen Keller, to whose brain no spoken word 
can penetrate, and whose eyes witness no movement of 
tongue or lips, can speak with sufficient plainness to be 
readily understood, thus demonstrating the inherent char- 
acter of our language, for even to her educated sense of 
touch the complicated series of movements cannot be 
wholly apparent. The body possesses a wisdom of its own, 
or has other guidance than that which we consciously 
exercise. 

Many a stammerer is much better acquainted with the 
principles governing speech, than is his neighbor with 
ready command of voice and articulation. He studies this 
wonderful and intricate function, finding it to be in a 
sense involuntary, for we, by no means consciously, super- 
intend each action, but wishing to communicate with those 
about us, are served by numerous agencies, each perform- 
ing its part readily and correctly, thus leaving the mind 
free to consider the subject of its discourse. The mechan- 
ism concerned in speech, together with its action, is com- 
paratively well understood. The air, expelled from the 
lungs, is changed to vocal sound in the larynx. The 
desire to speak is accompanied by greatly increased ten- 
sion of the vocal cords, whose rapid vibrations are com- 
municated to the column of air, thus producing sound. 
This raw material of speech is further modified, as it is 
acted upon by the muscles of the throat, and, reaching 
the mouth, receives impressions from tongue, teeth and 
lips, these completing the transformation of mere windy 
breath to man's most potent weapon for good, or ill. 

Why does a man stammer? The natural inference is 
that some fault exists in the mechanism, yet by good 
authority we are informed that seldom, if ever, is the diffi- 
culty the result of wrongly-formed organs of speech. Let 
us, without for the moment endeavoring to find a cause, 



252 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

consider the visible aspect of the trouble. Stammering 
seems but a slight and almost needless disease to one 
acquainted with the manner in which the organs deport 
themselves: simply a cleaving of the tongue to the roof 
of the mouth, or temporary inability to open the lips or 
teeth, resulting in the prolongation of the opening sound 
of a word, or 2 it may be, that sound is completely ob- 
structed in the case of the word desired; though a sudden 
veering to a totally dissimilar word will cause the tone to 
flow readily. In stuttering, there is manifested a rapid 
repetition of one word or syllable. In all cases there is 
spasmodic action of the organs of speech. Where the diffi- 
culty is of long standing, it becomes complicated, the suf- 
ferer, in uttering a word, often interposing various mean- 
ingless sounds, continuing his efforts until breath is ex- 
haused, when, perhaps, the word slips out in the gasping, 
scraping tone much like that given forth by a violin when 
the player loses control of the bow. 

So much for the obvious facts of the disease. The 
stammerer, however, has observed other phenomena, 
which, if he is psychologically inclined, awaken intense 
interest. He does not always stammer. When alone, he 
can usually read or speak without trouble. In conversa- 
tion he can, perhaps, turn from a word which presents 
insurmountable obstacles, and rapidly and readily interject 
an excuse, or explanation of his difficulty. The story is 
well known of the stammerer, who, after several in- 
effectual attempts to direct a traveler who inquired of 
him the way, burst forth, "Oh, go along; you'll get there 
before I can tell you !" Then, too, he can swear readily. 
Words which present the greatest difficulty at times can, 
under other circumstances, be spoken without hesitation. 
The condition of their ready utterance seems to be a 
withdrawing of the too anxious direction of the speaker. 
If he can completely forget himself, he is safe. To forci- 
bly, and somewhat humorously, illustrate this fact: A 
friend had been spending the day in a neighboring town. 
Upon his return he was interrogated by our stammerer in 



A LAY SERMON 253 

regard to the family of a relative. "Are they — " here 
trouble commenced; the word "well" could not be spoken. 
After several trials, all failing to bring forth the word 
without a prolonging of the first sound, the stammerer 
suddenly ejaculated, "Well!" not by any means as a 
completion of the question, but as an exclamation of im- 
patience, after which he resumed his effort, not realizing 
until his friend broke into hearty laughter, that quite 
unconsciously he had, without hesitation, spoken the diffi- 
cult word. 

The stammerer stands in his own light. Let him step 
aside, let the attention be directed to another matter, and 
speech flows easily. The body appears able to manage 
very well without its timid, bungling occupant. The 
musician may have noted this fact in connection with 
performance without notes. The conscious mind, looking 
ahead, is not able to place in position the myriad notes, 
but if the performer be not too greatly concerned, his 
fingers will carry him safely through. 

Are we any nearer an answer to our question. Why 
does a man stammer ? We find that he can, as a rule, sing, 
read in concert with others, and at times speak without 
difficulty, thus proving the healthfulness of the vocal ap- 
paratus. Accustomed as he is to classing himself with 
Moses, Demosthenes, Charles Lamb and Canon Kingsley, 
he by no means attributes his difficulty to lack of intelli- 
gence. Is he deficient in will-power? This view is unten- 
able in face of the facts that speech is easiest when there 
is, apparently, the least exercise of will-power, and that 
with greater effort the difficulty increases. 

It is fortunate for the stammerer that his cure does not 
depend upon a complete understanding of the disease. 
Forms of words may, indeed, serve the purpose of an 
explanation, but several profound problems respecting 
mind and matter will need solution before the precise 
nature of the impediment can be determined. Nature leads 
us on, granting bewildering glimpses of mysteries beyond, 



254 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

and we seem almost to have grasped her essence; but 
always she eludes our touch. Never will she completely 
surrender. Watch the prestidigitator as closely as we 
may, the decisive act escapes us, and, in the method of 
nature, from the growing of a plant to the growing of a 
soul, though we watch unceasingly, there are movements 
our eyes can not see, and sounds our ears can not catch. 

Though so reticent, nature serves us faithfully. Trust 
her fully, and the reward is great. What we cannot do 
ourselves she does for us, knitting together the broken 
bone, healing the bruised flesh, and can we not say also, 
setting free the obstructed speech? If, indeed, as has 
been said,* and the explanation is the most intelligible 
offered, stammering is caused by a too great sensibility of 
that portion of the brain governing speech, this weaker 
part being easily disarranged, resulting in spasmodic ac- 
tion of the organs under its control, it follows that relief 
cannot be obtained by a still further concentration of 
nervous force where there is already an excess, but 
rather by a diversion of this energy to other channels; 
or, in other words, by giving responsibility to a different 
portion of the brain. This is the principle, recognized 
or unrecognized, acted upon in many methods of cure. 
Nature, given an opportunity, does her work perfectly, 
and the cure wrought instantaneously centuries ago, may 
to-day be more slowly, though no less divinely accom- 
plished. 

This article is designed to throw some light upon an 
obscure subject, to give the stammerer a clearer idea of 
the nature of his difficulty, and to indicate the lines along 
which help will come. Let him remember that in a hand- 
to-hand struggle (without aid) with the infirmity, he will, 
in all probability, be defeated. Exercise of will-power 
is, indeed, necessary, yet more to keep him in the path 
where he will not meet the enemy, than to enable him to 
overcome with great effort each dangerous word on its 
own ground. 

*The Origin and Treatment of Stammering. — Lewis. 



ENCOURAGEMENT FOR STAMMERERS 255 

Patience, careful study, patience, faith, patience, per- 
sistence, and again patience. If even then success does not 
come, seek institutional help. 

"God doth not need 
Either man's work, or his own gifts; who best 
Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best; his state 
Is kingly; thousands at his bidding speed, 
And post o'er land and ocean without rest; 
They also serve who only stand and wait." 



ENCOURAGEMENT FOR STAMMERERS 

Stammering though a disease, is partially a habit; a 
disease, in that the nerve centers become alarmed and 
congested without a tangible cause. The disturbance 
causes an accelerated and rapid action of the heart and 
induces spasmodic respiration and a general convulsive 
movement of the diaphragm and produces derangement; 
the circulation and respiration equally affecting the 
action of the other. A habit, in that the stammerer does 
not sufficiently articulate and pronounce his consonants 
when not laboring under embarrassment and nervo-agita- 
tion. A disease, in that stammering goes on consciously 
and unconsciously when the trouble can be partially con- 
trolled by the exercise of judgment and special care. This 
and laxness of articulation is doubly injurious when so 
much depends upon perfect performance to insure har- 
mony and unimpeded fluency. 

It may be well to note that few people stammer when 
thrilled or aroused, more particularly when making appeals 
in public places and when masters of the situation. Under 
these conditions, the speaker has control and command of 
all his faculties, both mental and physical. He then has 
sufficient stimulus to overcome his faltering spirit and 
to forget that he ever was a stammerer — the con- 
dition we hope ultimately to reach and so very difficult to 



256 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

obtain. As a writer on the subject recently said, 
"there is an insufficiency of the will and united purpose, 
which is necessary for the impartation of distinct, concise 
and complete thought. If the body is not under the con- 
trol of the will, the brain may convulse and move faster 
than the tongue can perform. It may also act incoherently 
and without method. This disarranges vocalization im- 
measurably and is the source of much inharmony between 
the two great factors." When one knows he would not 
be seriously afflicted if he could forget he ever was a 
stammerer why does he not make more material progress ? 
That is a question which can be only partially answered. 
First, the stammerer stammers without volition and un- 
consciously, and occasionally dreams and thinks with the 
same halting vocabulary. Second, the semi-voluntary 
muscles can only be partially directed when conditions 
are favorable; when unfavorable, and surcharged by elec- 
trical force, these muscles are unmanageable. 

I beg of my readers to make a study of self, and while 
listening to my suggestions and research, consider to 
what extent these remarks are applicable. What may be 
beneficial to one and true in principle is only true in part 
with another. None but advanced stammerers, and those 
versed in dealing with the subject, can fully comprehend 
the limitless task and successful application of well-known 
truths which are paramount. The stammerer must cor- 
rect improper muscular movements and take notice when 
any organ fails to perform its proper function. 

While I may not be accurate in details, general prin- 
ciples are best discussed with authenticity and intelligence, 
and will serve us better purpose. In many cases there is 
a lack of harmony between the upper and lower respiratory 
muscles. While undue force is always to be avoided, con- 
vulsive diaphragmatic action is doubly injurious. The 
ultimate result is the closing of the air passage by one or 
more of the vocal organs in their unequal effort to econo- 
mize and vocalize the breath; or, perhaps, the tongue 



ENCOURAGEMENT FOR STAMMERERS 257 

may not be in proper position and no control exercised over 
the air column at all. Some claim that the muscles of the 
face are not all the proper length, and when the jaw 
reaches a certain angle, it has a tendency to act with 
epilepsy. No matter from what specific cause, disastrous 
results prevail in one or all its various forms. 

In cases advanced toward recovery, the vocal organs 
are in position, and remain so and perform their functions 
when the individual maintains his equanimity. Should 
he fail to preserve it, disorder prevails, complications 
arise and he again experiences the suffering of his less 
fortunate brother. 

When speech is fluent and performed with ease, the air 
column is broken into small fragments; each distinct 
phonetic sound and vocalization, other than the vowel 
sounds arrest the rapid escape of the column of air. It 
sometimes happens that a sufferer is left breathless with- 
out power of utterance, and his message not half delivered. 
The stammerer must learn to breathe slowly, inhale and 
exhale slowly and control the breath. He must at all 
times inhale a sufficient amount of oxygen to aerate the 
blood and keep the lungs free from an excessive amount 
of carbonic acid gas. A failure to do so not only im- 
mediately causes mental depression but robs the man- 
physical, of inherent power as well. No better plan can be 
devised to drive away impending stammering than to com- 
bat the nervous sensation by deep and complete respira- 
tion, thus furnishing ample regime and forestalling the 
temporary failure and hesitancy to respire, and spasmodic 
respiration known to all who have once stammered. The 
pulsations of the heart must be regular and normally 
strong. Not only must the breathing be guided, but equal 
care should be taken to keep the tongue in position, well 
forward and it should be the only organ which may, if 
any at all, impede the flow from the lungs. Great care 
should be taken to pronounce all phonetical sounds with 
mathematical accuracy and intelligent precision. The 

17 



258 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

mind and will should not be forgotten in our mechanical 
appliances and constitutional devices. 

The greatest difficulty to be met is, how to overcome the 
nervous complications which so harass the pupil and baffle 
so large a majority. To accomplish the result so vitally 
sought, is a precarious undertaking even for one competent 
in his craft. With diligence and tact, he will exact obedi- 
ence from the pupil, who has made advancement and has 
substantial hopes for complete relief. 

Total recovery is given the fortunate who, with 
persistence, have more than conquered themselves. In- 
variably the stammerer does not know what will assist 
him; but he must assist himself, for with him alone lies 
the power to overcome all that binds. Nothing but an 
extended competent practice upon the deficient elements 
necessary to successful speaking, will afford complete im- 
munity from the nervous complications, and build up and 
strengthen the weaker parts. 

The mental phase of the trouble is even more difficult to 
treat. No approximate idea of the extent of the difficulty 
can be made on account of the mental conditions which 
enter in and must be considered when the difficulty is 
treated. It may be considered a form and part of the dis- 
order itself. The object to be attained is unity of action 
between mind and body, and a healthy sufficiency of the 
will. There is an inability to relax, when undue ten- 
sion is drawn, as well as an inability to make the body 
elastic and firm. Acute stammering is always a convulsive 
effort to vocalize, while the pressure from the lungs is too 
strong to allow vocalization of the air volume during its 
rapid expulsion therefrom. If the abnormal pressure is 
removed perfect vocal performance will be an ac- 
complished fact. More stammering is caused by the lungs 
being excessively expanded than by comparative exhaus- 
tion of the volume. The lungs may be well filled and the 
next instant exhausted through the same inability to 
economize. Under embarrassing circumstances the lungs 
may be compressed with carbonic acid and the unfortunate 



ENCOURAGEMENT FOR STAMMERERS 259 

one suffer for the want of oxygen. Should he have 
sufficient presence of mind to stop speaking long enough 
to expel the devitalized air ? he will not only remove the 
congestion, but will supply the oxygen which is so much 
needed to secure composure and strength sufficinet to over- 
come the existing mental and physical observant 
conditions. 

As to how relief may be best obtained, I am most at 
sea, and go groveling among the wheat and tares, occa- 
sionally finding a golden grain more perfect than the 
others. It can only be obtained by means external. The 
mental and physical man must act in unison. The body 
must act with mechanical precision and mathematical per- 
fection predestined by the Omnipotent Supreme. We 
must reason from the depths of our souls and build from 
cause to effect. The mind must be trained to think in 
words and in a straight line, oblivious of latent physical 
defects sought to be overcome. Even his individuality 
itself should be forgotten at times. This is the most 
cherished of results sought to be attained. Then success- 
ful speaking will be an assured fact and the trouble re- 
duced to a minimum. The mechanical part of the impedi- 
ment must be mastered by continual application of forces, 
mental and mechanical, until weakened parts are made 
strong and normal, and right speaking is habitual. It is 
successfully overcome when the nervous sensation im- 
mediately preceding stammering is no longer violent, if 
present at all, and the conditions which produce the same 
do not affect the individual consciously or unconsciously. 
The intellect must be controlled by the will, and the will 
must be sufficient to subject the body to control and dic- 
tation without undue effort. The condition of the mind 
wields so great an influence upon the physical man that 
we have reason to believe this malady, if it can be called 
a malady, is largely due to morbid influences existing 
paramount with the individual and may be a part of his 
individuality. A certain amount of it exists without cause. 



260 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

The stammerer must be trained organically until the phys- 
ical movements are true to nature, perfect and automatic 
in performance. 

When this is once successfully accomplished, all that 
is needed to perfect a permanent cure is to supply confi- 
dence in self and overcome the depression in body and 
spirit and to make them remain actively in force for all 
time to come. He should refrain from speaking, when 
speaking can be avoided, should he feel the disorder com- 
ing. It is better for him not to speak at all when he has 
no message to impart. He should talk no faster than he 
can speak distinctly and accurately and his hearers under- 
stand and digest. This materially assists him in estab- 
lishing between himself and others that magnetic reci- 
procity of interest which exists where mind meets mind. 
He then speaks with sufficient force to utilize all his nerv- 
ous energy and builds up the weaker parts. And while 
the occasion dominates the force required, there is present 
that mutual reflex agency which affords him ample pro- 
tection against himself. (This throws some light upon a 
seeming mystery why a stammerer may make an eloquent 
argument upon the platform or to a jury.) When speak- 
ing to anyone, he should speak to him face to face, look 
him in the eye and hold it until the request is made or 
message delivered, as the case may be. It relieves the dis- 
eased parts of excessive nervous stimulus and promotes 
composure. It also supplies strength when and where 
most needed. It might be well for the stammerer to carry 
on his desultory conversation under actual and impending 
dangers, rather than with those before whom he wishes 
to create a reasonably favorable impression. It will be 
profitable for him to move among people, and be 
present in public places and accustom himself to give and 
receive the attention due from one stranger to another 
and to society in general. He should think not of what 
words he will use, neither in what manner he will speak, 
unless he is an inveterate stammerer seeking light, but 
should verily believe that he has something in mind that he 



ENCOURAGEMENT FOR STAMMERERS 26l 

wants others to hear. Society should be sought instead of 
being avoided. While remaining silent at times may be 
wise, and though the avoidance of public places may re- 
lieve inevitable embarrassment, relief is only secure when 
the presence of others does not embarass or disturb. 

When you are addressed, meet the gaze of your inquisi- 
tor quietly and firmly, with a steadfast resolution that you 
will not stammer again. Should the sensation peculiar to 
a stammerer come upon you, use the best device at your 
command to drive it off. It invariably assists in relaxing 
nervous tension and induces speaking with a purpose. If 
the purpose is great enough, you will rise above it. These 
remarks are cursory at best, and for the purpose of appli- 
cation are written for those who have advanced from 
slavery to comparative freedom. It would be far better 
for one who is an inveterate stammerer not to attempt 
wholly alone to effect a cure. The great tendency is to 
fall into errors hard to dispel and signally bad. Competent 
assistance can supply him with the required confidence 
necessary to speed recovery, and is best known to those 
who have experienced the merits and demerits taught 
them with some little success. The best results are obtained 
in all things at relative cost. 

Nothing will be more conducive to complete relief than 
right living, right thinking and right acting. Morality, 
sobriety and mental and physical activity. While as stated 
complete and permanent relief is next to impossible with- 
out the presence of one competent to instruct, and zealous 
in his efforts to demonstrate the practicability of his 
teachings, much may be accomplished alone. As one cause 
of relapse is a failure to keep and perform practice of the 
elements necessary for recovery, a teacher is invaluable 
in compelling his pupil to correctly and faithfully follow 
certain physical and mental mechanics, and to improve the 
advantage when once gained. The stammerer must work, 
strive and use all means within his power to achieve suc- 
cess. He should study self and note advancement or 
vantage lost. He should make his surroundings pleasant 



262 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

and avoid subjects personally depressing to him. His in- 
structor should, as far as possible, remove from him the 
many besetting elements which combine to make discour- 
agement at commencement so nearly unavoidable. His 
friends should differentiate between wholesome encour- 
agement and conventional sympathy. 

The nervous part of stammering is the greater trouble 
to be met and conquered. It has confounded doctors and 
educators for thousands of years and still continues to 
baffle some. It is evident that when one can talk with 
little or no impediment when alone, and stammers when 
another enters, that some nervous trouble intervenes and 
is present. The first question which presents itself is, 
what cause can be assigned and what is the pathological 
effect? Certainly there is a power which intervenes and 
destroys natural breathing and vocalizing. If it is disease 
alone,' relief can only be obtained by patient effort, but if 
mental, the malady will be overcome speedily or be pro- 
longed according to the temperament of the individual. 

The modern system, based upon education, principally, 
has its efficacy in directing the electrical current to an- 
other part of the body; thus relieving the affected parts 
and giving a mental tonic. This reflex action gives relief 
and assurance of complete and permanent cure. The 
body is relaxed and normal conditions prevail; the mental 
conditions are hopeful, and were the stammerer now 
taught that confidence is a wholesome factor, (more of 
a means than an end), the result might be more satis- 
factory. To afford permanent relief the affected parts, 
which are weak if not deranged, must be trained to act 
correctly and by judicious use will, in time, have proper 
strength. The weakness may be physical or otherwise, 
usually both. Habitual lax and improper vocalization must 
be overcome and made relatively perfect until correct 
speaking and economy of volume is scrupulously habitual 
and breathing equally as perfect. 

Do not hesitate to use time and rhythm where such 
will be helpful, no matter the pathological base. 



ENCOURAGEMENT FOR STAMMERERS 263 

When the mind is occupied in absorbing thought, speak- 
ing is automatic with the calculations devised by the 
brain. If the sufferer is depressed, depressed speech will 
be the result. It is fortunate that stammering is part 
mental. Were it not so, relief would be much more hope- 
less. When the soul forgets that its "shroud" was once a 
stammerer, the infirmity will have ceased. 

Let me not discourage any stammerer nor offend him 
in any way, for now, with greater enlightenment than 
was mine in my unequal struggle, he can receive the sub- 
stantial assistance that has been denied many a one. He 
can profit by the intelligent labors of others. While others 
may assist him, he alone must effect his own cure. It 
can be obtained only after a continued and patient effort. 
The effort must be with method and upon pathological 
and physiological lines. When in possession of a system 
which affords relief, never weaken in the use of it. Speak 
slowly, distinctly and with reasonable force. While you 
may have stammered for years, and while stammering 
has become a part of your very being, more than a man- 
nerism with you, you may reasonably hope for relief even 
now. No specific rules can be offered; for what may be 
offered to one may apply only in part to another. Great 
care must be taken not to distort that which is already not 
without blemish. Something must be done to quiet and 
strengthen the nerves as well as the vocal organs. Place 
yourself under the care of skillful instructors in 
some of our best and most reliable institutes, and 
with persistence and fidelity follow their instructions 
and regime. Do not consider your time valuable; 
you cannot be cured in a day. Time spent in any 
institution, where learning and method are taught, 
is vastly more valuable than cumbersome treasure. 
After you have been pronounced cured and find your life 
doubly enlarged, and happiness all that you dreamed, 
stay some days longer and entrench yourself in your 
success. A lurking germ may still be with you, lying dor- 
mant, ready to rise when you through necessity relax your 



264 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

vigilance. When you enter the "lists" to combat the prob- 
lems common to all mankind, barring the few, mother 
tongue performs an active part. Should you not be able 
to avail yourself of the benefit of competent "coach/' 
make use of the material you can command. Make home 
pleasant; but not to such an extent as to preclude the 
other members of the family from being watchful and 
from giving you timely warning. By doing as suggested 
much stammering and suffering may be avoided and per- 
manent relief afforded. 

Cultivate persistent energy and do not abate active men- 
tal and physical discipline. When not obligatory to speak, 
unless well advanced or during judicious practice of rele- 
vant gymnastics, repose and quietude should be sought, 
alternately interspersing your exercises with aggressive 
and enervating athletic and other outdoor exercises. Les- 
sons in self-control, motionless attitudes, firmly looking 
at one object for the course of from one to two minutes, 
are beneficial to build up nerve tissue, and materially as- 
sist in securing mental and physical composure, which 
is so valuable to one who stammers, or to those who were 
once stammerers; then relative success is assured. The 
natural tendency is to fall into improper vocalization 
with attendant vices; unconsciously at first, eventually 
imperturbable in character, and may be considered one of 
the offensive mannerisms. To checkmate it, the stam- 
merer's will must be employed either intuitively or con- 
sciously. , 

It is encouraging to note that when a stammerer is in- 
tensely absorbed in thought, he seldom ever stammers. 
This fact alone should give him hope and make life more 
worth the living. It should teach him not to be backward 
in society and business; nor to be too sensitive at home 
or among friends. 



A PRACTICAL DISCUSSION OF STAMMERING 

As we are about to consider the subjects of stammer- 
ing and stuttering, let us go to the dictionary and see 
what we find in regard to definition for these words. It 
takes but a minute to ascertain the fact that they are used 
synonymously and hence are considered as having the 
same meaning, therefore to stammer is to stutter, and to 
stutter is to stammer. If such an authority as this con- 
fuses the meaning of the two words, it is not surprising 
that the general public should consider them one and the 
same thing. Indeed, almost any defect in speech seems 
to be termed stammering by people who have not made 
a specific study of this malady. In reality, the difference 
is very marked and the following directions can, I think, 
properly be made. 

Stuttering is a defect in respiration and vocalization, 
sometimes causing spasmodic action or the rapid repetition 
of a word or syllable before the following one can be 
uttered. 

Stammering is, certain conditions prevailing, the lack 
of ability to articulate or control the organs of speech, 
which seem to be tightly held together for the time being, 
this condition in many cases necessitating the substitu- 
tion of one sound for another. 

Speaking of persons having no impediments of speech, 
the action of the mind, nerves, muscles and vocal organs 
is so harmonious that they are conscious of no physical 
or mental effort other than that of exercising the latter 
to the extent of originating the idea in the brain. On 
the other hand, the stammerer can give expression to his 
ideas only after the greatest physical and mental exertion. 

Sound is produced by the expiration of air through 



266 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

the larynx passing between the vocal cords, through the 
opening called the glottis. 

As the chest has a natural tendency to contract, the 
act of inspiration might be termed voluntary and ex- 
piration involuntary; but when we wish to speak or sing, 
the natural contraction of the chest does not produce 
sufficient force in the exit of the column of air from the 
lungs through the vocal organs to produce sound, and 
hence it is necessary to call into play the assistance of the 
diaphragm, a muscular wall at the base of the lungs; this 
organ is to a greater or less extent under the control 
of the will. 

In vocalization the vocal cords are drawn closely to- 
gether by their controlling muscles, and in the produc- 
tion of a low tone are comparatively loose, whereas if a 
high tone is desired, this accommodating set of muscles 
stretches them tightly across the larynx or voice box. 
This is the principle, as we all know, of the production of 
high and low tones in a stringed instrument. In the 
production of sound, the vocal cords have nothing to 
do with the obstruction or production of speech, unless it 
is in the case of a stammerer when he completely closes 
the glottis by his spasmodic efforts to speak. 

Vowels and consonants go to make up articulate 
speech, the former being produced by uninterrupted cur- 
rents of air passing through the vocal organs whose dif- 
ferent positions produce the several sounds; the latter 
are formed by the air currets being interrupted in their 
passage by the tongue, teeth or lips. The consonant sounds 
m, n, f, s, can be prolonged as long as expiration and 
a particular position of the vocal organs is maintained. 
In the production of (p, b, d, hard c and g) prolongation 
of sound is impossible as the passage of air is completely 
blocked in their utterance. It is on the consonants that 
the stammerer or stutterer has his greatest trouble, as they 
are much more complicated with respect to the positions 
of the vocal organs used in their production than are the 
vowels. It is usually in the more advanced stages of the 



A PRACTICAL DISCUSSION OF STAMMERING 26j 

malady that the stammerer begins to have trouble with 
the vowels. 

The real cause of stammering seems to be an inassocia- 
tion of the muscles employed in performing the various 
functions of the organs of respiration, vocalization and 
enunciation, respectively. 

As to the cause of the above lack of association be- 
tween these organs, it can usually be traced to fright, 
a fall, nervous shock, physical weakness, imitation or in- 
herited tendency. Although said to originate in many 
ways, I believe that, as a general thing, it is acquired 
through imitation either conscious or otherwise. 

Stuttering is the first and early stage of a habit that 
can be called physical in its makeup and manifestations, 
but after years of mockery a person thus afflicted, who is 
continually made the butt of jokes, finds that the malady 
has taken such a hold upon his entire being as to take 
on a mental phase, and it is when the mental side of man 
is thus affected that the disease is called stammering, the 
latter for that reason being the more difficult to cure as 
there is the mental as well as the physical side with 
which to deal. 

The principal trouble in stammering and stuttering, is 
the lack of an unobstructed passage for the breath from 
the lungs through the speech producing organs. 

In regard to the production of speech, respiration is 
to a great extent voluntary, as are also the actions of the 
essential organs. I am now referring to perfect speech. 
Where impediments exist we find spasmodic involun- 
tary action of the organs where the power of the will 
should dominate. Spasmodic action in stammering is an 
involuntary, unnatural, contractive action of the muscular 
parts. We find in cases of stammering the condition 
is manifested by an involuntary, unnatural, contractive 
muscular action of the glottis, lips, tongue and other 
organs concerned in respiration. As the actions of the 
muscles are convulsive and irregular, it must stand 
to reason that they are controlled by nerve centers that 



268 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

are in the same condition, especially those whose functions 
are of volition, motor and reflex action, and in particular 
that center the impulses of which control the respiratory 
movements of the ribs and diaphragm. 

It is a well known scientific fact that nervous disorders 
seriously affect the mind. From this it seems that the 
causes of defective speech are in the brain, nerves, and 
muscles and not in the organs of speech, excepting, of 
course, when there is some malformation of the latter, 
but this is so rare as to be scarcely worth considering. 

We often hear of cases of stammering acquired through 
hereditary transmission, but this theory is erroneous, as 
faulty action cannot be inherited; that which is inherited 
is the tendency to stammer which, of course, may be de- 
veloped through association or imitation. 

Defective speech, by keeping one in a constant state of 
worry and fear, so affects the nerves and mind that there 
is a constant tendency to increase the seriousness of the 
malady in every way; for this reason a case of stammer- 
ing is very seldom outgrown. 

Who has not watched a stammerer's vain attempts to 
speak when he gasps, sobs, rolls his eyes and contorts his 
limbs? When finally he succeeds in forcing out that 
which he wishes to say, it is often said so indistinctly 
and imperfectly as to render necessary a second attempt, 
usually far more disastrous in its results than was 
the first ; when he has at last finished he seems to collapse 
completely, every muscle seeming to be lax and lifeless. 
Who will say that a human being can stand under such 
a struggle day after day and not become affected in body, 
and in mind? Indeed, it is a wonder that the poor unfor- 
tunate's life is of long duration. What chance has the 
stammerer to succeed in business when others who, them- 
selves possessing perfect speech, do not hesitate to take 
advantage of his unfortunate position to benefit them- 
selves in every way in which it is possible? 



A PRACTICAL DISCUSSION OF STAMMERING 269 

He shuns society and avoids people with whom it 
is to his advantage to associate, and, as a result, he can- 
not help but possess a soul that is filled with bitterness and 
longing; truly it is bitterness, for does he not see him- 
self distanced in the race of life by those whom he knows 
are his inferiors in many ways. Not only is the effect 
upon himself the worst that can be imagined, but he 
is very apt to teach through association his improper 
method of talking to his companions; for truly this is 
one of the most contagious of the diseases known to 
mankind. 

The child of a stammerer has in him the tendency to 
stammer, and unless treated with the greatest care, will 
follow in the footsteps of its parent and become afflicted 
with a form of stammering that is the most difficult to 
cure. It seems criminal to bring a child into the world, 
when it is almost certain to be compelled to bear through 
life a yoke, the weight of which seems to be almost 
beyond human endurance. 

We shall now try and see if there is not some way in 
which a cure may be effected for this curse that falls 
upon so many unfortunates. The very fact that stam- 
merers can sometimes converse fluently under favorable 
conditions, seems to show, that if perfect speech is pos- 
sible at one time, it must be possible with proper treat- 
ment to obtain the same results under all conditions. But 
since the disease is mental in its cause and origin it is, 
of course, necessary that this side be dealt with in order 
to gain a foundation for the treatment of the physical 
condition, for many a stammerer has said that, could he 
but get up some morning and forget that he had ever stam- 
mered, he would be able to speak without difficulty. The 
subjective side of the human mind, which acts through 
suggestion has, in the case of the stammerer, had doubt 
and fear suggested to it for so long a time, that no other 
kind of thought can be produced without a long course 
of mental training. It is right here that the stammerer 
fails in his attempts to cure himself, for he does not un- 



270 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

derstand how to deal with this mental phase of his diffi- 
culty. It seems to be clear that educational methods and 
means, beginning at the very root of speech, are the only 
ones that can ever give the patient the necessary con- 
fidence to speak and have no thought of failure. But 
the patience, thought and care required to bring about this 
condition are great. Ninety-nine out of one hundred 
stammerers give up for the reason that they do not at 
once get rid of their difficulty. A man cannot hope to 
rid himself in a week of a habit that has been growing 
for years, still yield it must to proper, patient and system- 
atic treatment. 

First must come mental discipline of the strictest kind, 
for in no other way can the mind be trained to control 
the muscles that have for so long a time rebelled success- 
fully against its dictates. All habits, the practice of which 
are injurious to the nerves, heart, brain or respiration, 
must be dropped at once. The patient should be drilled 
in the production of fundamental sounds and learn to 
produce them properly and with ease; he has always 
been in the habit of using too much force. 

The next step is to combine sounds, or more properly 
vowels and consonants, and lastly words and sentences, 
for only by this slow but sure method, beginning at the 
very bottom, can we hope to attain any great amount of 
success. Deep and regular breathing must be practiced 
until it becomes second nature to always have a good sup- 
ply -of air for the production of sound. Another thing 
of vital importance is to learn to relax all the muscles 
concerned in the production of speech, for it is their tense 
condition when attempting to speak that causes the trouble; 
another suggestion is to talk easily and not try to force for 
when one attempts to force his words he is making an 
effort to speak in an improper manner. 

All drill should be under the eye of a competent instruc- 
tor, who can see whether or not the patient is practicing 
properly or whether he is becoming lax and careless, at 
the same time there is a system resulting in benefit from 



A PRACTICAL DISCUSSION OF STAMMERING 2JI 

all exercises which benefit it is almost impossible to 
obtain if work is done alone; interruptions are 
not only frequent but fatal to a successful cure. Phys- 
ical exercise is a most important factor and must never be 
neglected. It is best to indulge in this part of the treat- 
ment while out of doors or in a well ventilated room. 
These exercises promote a healthy action of the mus- 
cles and nerves and produce as a result good health, 
they also train the muscles to obey the dictates of the 
will. Violent and excessive exercises must be 
carefully avoided as these increase the heart action and 
have a tendency to produce too much haste and hurry, 
which are just the conditions that the instructor must make 
the patient avoid as far as possible. Regular hours must 
be set down for everything, especially eating and sleeping. 
The latter being the period of vital recuperation, should 
never be robbed of its full share of time which should 
be indulged in as much as possible before midnight, as, 
of course, this is the most beneficial time in which to take 
that necessary luxury. 

A cheerful condition of mind must be cultivated and 
preserved at all times, for the habit of brooding is most 
fatal to the stammerer's condition, as thoughts of the 
latter type irritate and disturb the harmonious circula- 
tion of the nervous forces and prey upon the nervous sys- 
tem in general. Self-confidence must be acquired, for 
while lack of it cannot of itself produce impediment, yet 
once convince the sufferer that he can speak as well as 
anyone, and he is on the high road to success. 

This is, I think, without doubt, the most difficult of all 
habits to cure by one's self, still if one has the strength 
of mind and will to succeed, it can surely be done, for 
"what man has done, man can certainly do." The ad- 
vantages to be had at a good institute are so many as to 
leave no doubt in one's mind that it is the proper place to 
go if one has the means at his disposal. There are there 
no interruptions and no fears of disturbing anyone in the 
use of the necessary exercises and studies. The rules 



272 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

and hours are strict and regular and must be respected 
by all. The patient knows that he is there for a pur- 
pose and will let no influence or temptation distract him 
from the pursuit of that object, the accomplishment of 
which is beyond valuation. No tutor can cure stam- 
mering without the hearty cooperation and sympathetic 
labor of the patient, who must be made to feel that only 
through his own efforts can he be freed from his im- 
pediment of speech. 

Cures have been affected at home and alone, however, 
only after the most patient and persistent efforts can 
the stammerer hope (without aid) to at last experience the 
joy, and enter into the realms of unfettered speech. 



STAMMERING— ITS EFFECTS AND TREATMENT 

Something like fifteen years have passed since the 
moment that I first realized I was a victim, or at any 
rate the subject, of one of the most distressing maladies to 
which human flesh is heir, a malady which has proved to 
be a stumbling block from that day to this, making exist- 
ence under such conditions one continual struggle between 
the mind on the one hand, and the organs and muscles 
affected, on the other. It is unnecessary to add that this 
bane is that "affliction unnumbered among the world's sor- 
rows." It is because the world has failed to realize that 
it is a great affliction, that it is so hard to bear. 

The life of a stammerer is one of continual uncertainty 
— an uncertainty so dreadful that it eats like a canker- 
worm at the energy, the enthusiasm, the cheerfulness, and 
what is worse than all, at the vitality of a man or woman, 
from the time it first makes itself apparent. Even the 
stammerer's health is affected, and though this result is not 
invariably an accompaniment of stammering, yet in a great 
many cases the person with fettered speech, if he does not 



STAMMERING ITS EFFECTS AND TREATMENT 273 

overcome his impediment, has a shorter life than he would 
have enjoyed if he could have expressed himself like his 
fellowmen. 

Although the stammerer is an object for sympathy and 
encouragement, the former, I am afraid, is rarely bestowed 
by those who know nothing of the subject, while encour- 
agement it is almost impossible to obtain. Encouragement 
usually is offered in the form of something that helps 
him in his uphill struggle, and which none can give 
except those who have themselves learned the proper 
methods to be adopted in the cultivation of fluent speech. 

The cure of stammering has not yet been recognized 
as a crying want, in the same way that the cure of 
deafness has been recognized. This is explained by the 
fact that while deafness may be detected by anyone 
of average intelligence, the stammerer goes through life 
concealing his impediment, making use of tricks and 
mannerisms. What is more galling for a young man or 
woman, with a highly intelligent mind, than to be denied 
the expression of thoughts? One may, of course, resort 
to the use of synonyms. 

It is almost remarkable with what cheerfulness and 
steadfastness the stammerer applies himself to the task of 
pushing on, in spite of his difficulties. He swallows his 
disappointments, his chagrin, his defeats, his shame. He 
dismisses from his mind the scoffing of his fellows, the ill- 
mannered taunts of those who know not the kind of crea- 
ture they are dealing with. It very often is the case that 
he knows if he had their privilege of being able to speak 
what was in his mind, he would not deign to compare him- 
self with such individuals. 

One might ask what keeps the spirit alive when 
such pondrous weights are resting upon it threaten- 
ing to crush out its very existence. "Hope springs 
eternal in the human breast," and if any type of man is 
the embodiment of that great truth, I say that man is the 
stammerer. It is this that keeps alive the enthusiasm of 
the fairest of the victims of stammering. But how many 

18 



274 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

there must have been, whose hopes were never real- 
ized, who, in fact, seemed to sink more deeply into the 
mire of their pitiable state, simply because they never had 
heard of any means of escape, and, therefore, had not the 
opportunity of curing themselves. Let us hope and pray 
that the cures that are now being made will multiply rap- 
idly, and thus save thousands from a blighted existence. 
Here, surely, is a field for philanthropists to work in, but, 
perhaps, we shall see nothing from this direction until 
that class includes one of ourselves. 

Probably the happiest moments of a stammerer's life are 
when he flings aside all ambition and yearnings and ideals 
and substitutes for these thoughts, the self-assurance that 
when stammering has taken from him all that it can, he 
has still left the knowledge that he has done his best ; that 
his success in this life will not be measured by the quantity 
he has accomplished, but by what he has made himself in 
spite of the terrible difficulties he has had to face ; he will 
N then look upon his affliction with the serenity of St. Paul 
and realize that his weakness has only drawn him more 
closely to the Giver of all power by forcing him to rely 
upon the Almighty for courage and strength to tide over 
the period of waiting for the longed-for freedom. 

But if the mission of the writer were only to expatiate 
upon the trials and troubles of one so afflicted, this article 
would not be worth its place in the library of the stam- 
merer's best literature. It is rather to persuade him to 
look upon his trouble with fortitude and calmness, to 
never lose sight of the fact that he is one of God's 
creatures, placed here to carry out some purpose, and 
that his success or failure in this will very largely 
depend upon himself; to remind him that, however 
bad a stammerer he may be, he can still let his dealings 
with others be characterized by that manliness and force of 
character which should be the attributes of all men. 

The stammerer, thrown upon his own resources by being 
shut out from society and cut off from his friends and 
acquaintances by reason of his inability to converse with 



STAMMERING — ITS EFFECTS AND TREATMENT 275 

them, develops his thinking powers to an abnormal degree. 
This may, on first thought, appear to be an advantage that 
stammerers have over other people, but after due consider- 
ation it must be admitted that this is not so, for when he 
has reasoned something out in his own mind, feeling per- 
fectly certain himself that he has arrived at a correct 
concluson, he is, in all probability, too timid to make it 
known. If he does manage in some way to reveal his 
ideas or announce his plan, he may find that he has only 
applied the powers of his own mind to the case, and that 
by not having had the criticism and assistance of others, 
he has been allowing himself to drift along wrong lines of 
thought, and is convinced that after all his ideas are 
worth very little. In short, out of his own closely confined 
sphere, he has been trying to produce principles that would 
be practical for the bustling world, and he has failed. 

When it comes to fulfilling some object or gaining some 
end that is clearly set out, he shows his superiority. Driven 
to use synonyms in order that he may say what he wishes, 
he very soon becomes an artful person, and this quality 
is not long in permeating his whole nature. Under ordi- 
nary conditions and put to a good use, this would be worth 
something, but it is not to this that he must look for the 
means of making a man of himself. He should discard 
all artificial aids to expression, and what is more, he must 
certainly do so before he can hope to speak as nature 
intended. The man with the broken leg would never be 
able to walk again if he did not put aside his crutches, 
and then little by little exercise the weak limb until it 
regained its former strength. 

Another important point to be considered in the effects 
of stammering, is the tendency that one has to grow up 
with a morose, gloomy disposition, a soured temper, and a 
general inclination to move about and to act in a despon- 
dent, inattentive manner. He feels himself, as it were, 
being drawn into this state of mind, and often enough 
feels powerless to resist. Here is the chance for him to 
use all the will-power he possesses. He must learn that, 



2?6 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

come what may, he must not let his spirits droop, but 
must cultivate a bright, happy disposition. Let him take 
into his life all the sunshine that he possibly can, and 
substitute for that care-worn countenance the reflection 
of that hope that burns within him. 

It is the desire of the writer that he may realize that 
hope and to that end he ventures to warn the stammerer 
against the pitfalls that beset his path, and to direct him 
by the surest and shortest way to the goal he is making for. 
Depend upon it, the only good method is the natural 
method, that which breaks down your old habit of im- 
proper breathing, contraction of the muscles, pressure of 
the organs, the characteristics of attempting to speak in 
an impossible manner. Corrective exercises must be car- 
ried out under the control of the will, which will have to 
be trained and strengthened until there is a feeling that 
nothing can hinder the expression of thought. 

Do not imagine that this task is a light one, but it 
is an interesting one to an earnest stammerer, although 
it entails a vast amount of strenuous effort, and will call 
out all your stock of perseverance and patience. It will 
mean the controlling of your emotions, and the putting 
away of anything else that tends to upset the nerves and 
that prevents them from having full command of the 
muscles. 

As soon as the stammerer discovers that there is a way 
open for him to relieve himself of his burden, and knows 
about the path of discipline and, perhaps, self-denial that 
he must travel along, he must begin fixing his ideal. He 
must fancy himself a fluent speaker, moving about among 
his fellows with that self-possession that springs from for- 
getfulness of self. But if he is determined he must not 
stop here ; he must push on toward the attainment of his 
ideal and continue his advance until he is at last able to 
say he is cured. He must aim very high, but must not set 
about it in that half-hearted, feeble manner in which he 
has been accustomed to do things. He must never rest, 
but continually keep his ideals in view, that every day it 



STAMMERING ITS EFFECTS AND TREATMENT 277 

may make a deeper impression upon him; it will thus 
become more and more a part of himself, until at last he 
finds it has become a reality. 

By following this course of action and pursuing it con- 
scientiously, he is winning for himself another reward, 
another blessing in disguise. By idealizing in this branch 
of self-culture, he is training his mind to attack every- 
thing he sets himself to do, with an interest and intensity 
that cannot be thwarted. He learns to concentrate his 
mind and to put all his energies into the piece of work in 
which he is engaged. He must aim at being a perfect 
type of man, that is to say, he must make himself 
as nearly perfect as possible. He must look forward 
to that harmony of mind and body that will allow him 
to perform whatever is before him with deliberation 
and judgment, no matter what circumstances there are to 
upset him. Many of his ideals and aspirations cannot be 
attained until he has cured himself, but then when he 
feels himself, perhaps for the first time in his life, speech- 
whole, these principles that he has formulated and care- 
fully fostered, will spring into action, as it were, auto- 
matically. 

The stammerer I have had in view, while writing, 
is the one who has never yet given himself up to the 
idea that he will carry his impediment to the end of his 
days. The other, which never attempts to raise above 
his present miserable level, but settles down to a 
life of servitude and, perhaps, dependence on someone 
else, because he will not exert his mind by trying to 
throw off his intemperate and vicious habits, is, in my 
judgment, hardly worth attention. In the former class 
there are many who are chained down, who feel that they 
must be cured before they can fulfill what appears to them 
to be their true purpose in life. They are now, it may 
be, occupying positions or doing some kind of work that 
they are totally unfitted for, and many there are, no doubt, 
who, if they could speak with freedom, would prove to 



278 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

be valuable to many professions and to many avenues of 
business. 

To these stammerers let me say: direct all your efforts 
to one end: make all your work only a means to that end. 

What does it mean to the stammerer to have the 
glorious privilege of expression by the words of his own 
mouth? He will be, when cured, a different creature; 
starting out on the path of discipline and relying for 
encouragement upon his faith and hope. Little wonder 
that his face glows with a spirit that it never had before. 
He is bound to feel that new life has been given him that 
will enable him to go back to his business and succeed, 
or, maybe he will decide to commence a new business with 
a light heart and a veritable storehouse of energy. 

But even now he must not grow careless; remember 
that bad habits of twenty or thirty years standing are not 
blotted out and permanently replaced by good ones in a 
week or two; but by determined and continuous striving, 
so that for a certain period after he is said to be cured, 
his efforts must be as persistent as at any other time in his 
life. 

His opportunities for doing good to his fellow creatures 
having now arrived, I would remind him that charity 
begins at home, and ask him to give a helping hand 
to those who are still laboring under the bond of their 
affliction. 



STAMMERING A NERVE-DESTROYING HABIT 

Stammering is no new thing, and cannot be charged, 
like many of the modern ills, to conditions of civilization. 
Scripture references to this malady are commonly known, 
instances of it being on record as far back as the days of 
Moses, that leader of the Israelites being afflicted. Demos- 
thenes, that greatest of ancient orators, was afflicted with 
a modified type of stammering, which he overcame only by 
the greatest perseverance and severest discipline. 

The subject of stammering has occupied the thought 
of many of the best minds of all nations for centuries, and 
its cause and cure have proven a prolific source of litera- 
ture. Hippocrates (460 B. C.) was the earliest author 
of a thesis on this subject, and since his day the medical 
world has not lacked for an opportunity for educating 
itself thereto. In common with all other subjects that 
have caused great interest, there has been a great deal 
of chaff with the grain. Many false theories and prac- 
tices have been evolved; fallacious deductions have crept 
in and numberless systems have sprung up whereby it was 
confidently claimed absolute eradication of the defect could 
be brought about. Time, experience and observation have 
sifted out the chaff; empirical methods have been ex- 
posed and relegated to oblivion; modern science and re- 
search have exploded the theories that were fondly cher- 
ished and adhered to; and now, by the immutable law 
of the survival of the fittest, methods and systems are 
employed which restore to the unfortunate sufferer his 
power of free and unimpeded speech and with it a gratify- 
ing sense of freedom from a cruel and wretched thrall- 
dom. The lives of the majority of stammerers, in addition 
to being full of suffering and disquiet, will be abnormally 



280 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

shortened by a depletion of vital energy applied in making 
up the tremendous waste induced by an unnatural mental 
and physical strain. 

Stammering is a lack of the mind's control over the 
organs of speech, thereby instituting an inability to pro- 
duce desired sound at will. 

Stuttering is a defect in respiration and vocalization, 
causing a rapid repetition of a syllable or word, and is 
usually accompanied by spasmodic actions of the organs 
of speech and sometimes of different organs of the body; 
or the body as a whole becomes violently convulsed. Stut- 
tering is so closely allied with stammering as to be often 
combined with it. 

Stammering is more a condition of the mind, while 
stuttering has its origin through nervous weakness. 

Stammering may be caused by heredity (inherited ten- 
dency), mimicry or sickness with fever, viz., scarlet fever, 
diphtheria, typhoid fever, etc. It is also caused by violent 
emotion, as sudden fright, etc. 

Hereditary stammering is probably the most deeply- 
seated type on account of the natural or inherited tendency 
toward the defect. It is not possible for stammering 
itself to be inherited. A condition or disposition favorable 
to the development only can be inherited. If stammering 
itself could be directly transmitted from one generation to 
another, it would be found that children disposed to stam- 
mer would show signs of the defect at their first attempts 
at speaking. A child seldom shows signs of a speech defect 
until after the third year. What would otherwise prove to 
be a positive case of stammering from heredity, can be 
wholly overcome by using due precaution and guarding 
against it in every way possible. From its earliest infancy, 
surround the child with conditions and environments as 
nearly as possible directly opposite to those that might 
unduly excite it. Do not subject it to shame or ridicule. 
Avoid, if possible, sickness accompanied by fever, and 
most certainly keep it away from any stammering 
person. In due time encourage a proper amount of 



STAMMERING, A NERVE DESTROYING HABIT 28l 

out-door exercise, taking care that it is properly clothed. 
Give the child plain, nourishing food and see that it has 
plenty of sleep. If these directions are faithfully followed 
there will be no opportunity for the inherited tendency 
to develop. 

A great number of stammerers gain their foundation 
for the stammering habit by mimicing or imitating others 
who are afflicted. Such cases, if not checked at the start, 
speedily develop into a chronic and steadfast type of 
stammering. Such cases rapidly assume the same phases 
as those having their origin from any other cause. 

Stammering caused by sickness, accompanied by a 
high fever, is frequently met with. It is to be under- 
stood that stammering is a disease by itself. It is not an 
affliction that a person can be possessed of and be entirely 
sound in all other respects. It is a predominating feature 
of an already existing mental and nervous weakness. 
Therefore, if a person whose constitution tends toward the 
development of stammering, (should the proper condition 
be presented,) have his vitality lowered, the predisposed 
tendency would have a chance to assert itself. 

Stammering may also be caused by severe mental emo- 
tion, as sudden fright or severe injuries to the head and 
back. Cases resulting from malformation of the organs 
are rarely found. 

The ills to which flesh is hear are numerous and griev- 
ous, but there are few that are more prolific of embarrass- 
ment and mental pain to the victim or his associates, or 
that abound in more that tends to discourage and dis- 
hearten the immediate sufferer than stammering or other 
forms of decided impediment of speech. Stammerers are 
a class of sufferers, too, of whom the busy world knows 
little, for the very nature of their malady retires them 
from society, from the professions or the privilege of 
entering upon a career at all public in its character. He 
is pre-eminently a self-conscious being, and his defeat 
being ever before him, his life is one of constant mortifi- 
cation and trial. To the confirmed stammerer, this speech 



282 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

defect appears an insurmountable obstacle to the achieve- 
ment of his fondest hopes in life, and his existence at 
times become a burden. Intensely conscious of the dis- 
advantage under which he labors, and with little or no 
hope of overcoming the difficulty, he often relapses into 
moroseness, melancholy, despair. His meditations are ever 
upon his unfortunate condition and he becomes grim, irri- 
table, sensitive to an almost intolerable degree, and full 
of vain imaginings. He loses resolution and application — 
no longer persevering in his efforts to overcome in his 
discouraging strife. He suffers alone, for the sequence 
of his disease is not infrequently an almost total loss of 
self-confidence, and with it a loss of confidence in fellow- 
man; he canont trust himself to confide his woes, when 
he stands so much in the need of sympathy. 

The picture is not overdrawn, although it is not claimed 
that all sufferers from this ailment develop this phase of 
the case. But few of them, however, are free from mental 
anguish or from the evils consequent upon that derange- 
ment of the nervous forces of the system which is an 
almost inevitable accompaniment of the disease. 

Although stammerers have an insufferable amount to 
contend with, still it takes away some of the sting to 
bear in mind that there are some afflictions that are more 
far-reaching in consequences than is stammering, and for 
the most part incurable : consumptives, the deaf and dumb, 
a cripple or a sufferer from blood disease. Surely the 
stammerer would not exchange his lot with any of these. 

That stammering exerts a pernicious influence upon the 
mental and physical well-being of those afflicted, is conced- 
ed, and although the inroads made upon the material health 
is cause for alarm, the physical aspect is one that excites 
deep commiseration. The fact that mental influences 
and conditions are actuating causes in the production of 
diseases, is no better illustrated or confirmed than in the 
case of stammering. 

His stammering not only mightily affects the stam- 
merer himself, but endangers the speaking of every 



STAMMERING, A NERVE DESTROYING HABIT 283 

young person with whom he comes in contact. Most 
persons, especially the young, cannot help the tendency to 
imitate the habits of those with whom they associate. The 
danger of the innocent child of parents, one or the other 
being a stammerer, would be very great ; aye, and it would 
be but natural for a child of stammering parents to re- 
ceive the same tendency toward the dreaded affliction, 
develop the same speech defect, suffer the same ridicule 
and thoughtless jests of its playmates, the mortification, 
melancholy, passionate sensations of youth, and the re- 
stricted business and social life, to say nothing of the 
hopelessness of decided success in either, and finally to 
be instrumental in bringing another innocent into the 
world to take up the same yoke of mental and physical 
disquiet. 

The stammerer being, as a rule, afflicted both mentally 
and physically, requires a dual treatment, and each indi- 
vidual case is apt to demand some slight modification from 
the general lines of treatment according to temperament, 
character, intellectual and moral capacity, etc. What the 
treatment should be, has been for ages a question, giving 
rise to many contentions. Most of the ancient methods, 
and not a few of the more modern ones, too, were founded 
in error, and so long has the truth been obscured that the 
affliction came to be regarded by many as incurable. 
Demosthenes at first resorted to placing pebbles in his 
mouth; other devices and numerous mechanical appli- 
ances sprang up. Celus (A. D. 37) advised the use of 
a gargle of thyme, hyssop, or pennyroyal and the chewing 
of garlic, onions and mustard. 

As late as 1340 De Chaulias recommended a three- 
fold treatment for stammering, viz. : pungent blisters, 
frictions and cupping of the neck as a diversion of the 
humors; dessicating embrocations on the head made of 
mustard, pepper, etc. Come (1827) recognized the mental 
phase of the infirmity and the importance of treating it 
from that standpoint as well as physically. As late as 
1852 methods of surgery were practiced for the treatment 



284 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

of stammering, but no cure was ever known to come from 
it. That stammering is curable, no one who takes the 
time to figure out the cause and effect in the everyday 
events of life, will doubt. Stammering is an unnatural 
way of speaking. Nature intended that every person 
should have free, unimpeded speech; therefore, if there 
is defect in this respect, it simply means that at some time 
in life, from some cause above mentioned, or possibly 
from some other cause, a person has given way to the 
tendency to stammer. Not possessing enforcing will- 
power to check the habit, he will at some future time in 
life have to take the time and go to the expense of being 
taught to cease the unnatural, abnormal, yet surely curable 
habit. 

It is an immensely important thing to every stammerer 
to think and think hard to reason out problems in every- 
day life which will work to his own advantage and welfare 
and to the well-being and happiness of those around him. 
Bring to mind a person in the household on getting up 
in the morning. He may not be feeling in good humor, 
and on meeting some other member of the family will 
mention the decided disagreeableness of the weather or 
will growl about a triflingly late breakfast. These pes- 
simistic melancholy feelings cannot help but affect the 
hearer to some extent. It is best to see the rosy, bright 
side of affairs, for "every cloud has a silver lining." 
Stammerers should cultivate a cheerful disposition. 

The street cars in the morning are always well patron- 
ized. The person who rides to his business in a street car 
is not doing nearly as much for himself and others as one 
who walks, thereby gaining the benefit from the oxygen 
with which fresh air is loaded. The exercise to the lungs 
and limbs, is very beneficial. A street car, or any enclosed 
place where there are several people at one time, contains 
carbonic acid gas, which is a deadly poison. 

Successful treatment of stammering recognizes the nec- 
essity of a properly cultivated mental influence, not only 



STAMMERING, A NERVE DESTROYING HABIT 285 

upon, but proceeding from, the pupil. The controlling or 
actuating power of the mind over organic energy, is a 
quality to be determined by temperament and development, 
by intelligent and systematic exercise. The disciplining 
of the mind of the stammerer is one of the greatest diffi- 
culties met with in the treatment of this affliction. Stam- 
merers have many characteristics peculiar to their malady; 
as lack of confidence, skepticism, and a general disregard 
for, and seeming indifference to, their responsibility in 
correcting their fault. For these there is created resolu- 
tion, continuity of purpose, faith and hope. How these 
attributes may best be developed, depends largely upon 
the temperament and mental caliber of the stammerer; 
but, in any case, whatever tends to promote and develop 
character, stimulate the intellect, insure mental placidity, 
increase a proper conception of moral responsibility and 
divert the introspective thought of the patient, will tend 
very materially to aid in the cure of this malady. 

If all stammerers knew the all-around beneficial results 
coming from physical exercise, there would be more atten- 
tion given to this important item. The proper kind of ex- 
ercise, taken under right conditions, has a decidedly bene- 
ficial effect on the whole man, both mental and physical. 
It strengthens the heart's action, thereby quickening the 
circulation. The quickened breathing strengthens the 
lungs, and the nervous system is made stronger, thereby 
inducing more calmness and placidity of mind; in fact, 
the stammerer is made happier and more contented and 
his infirmity is lightened, as the severity of the impediment 
varies according to the general physical condition. Exer- 
cise should be taken at regular intervals, at least once a 
day, and care should be taken to have as much fresh air 
as possible, if the exercise is taken indoors, and to have the 
clothing loose. The most important exercises are those 
which bring into play the muscles over the vital organs, 
viz., heart, lungs, stomach and digestive tract. Running, 
or any vigorous movements of the body which quicken the 
heart's action and induce quickened breathing, are good. 



286 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

Bending the body at the waist line, from one side to the 
other, forward and backward, bring into play and 
strengthen the muscles over the stomach and abdomen, 
thus aiding the organs of digestion in their work. 

Proper breathing is as beneficial a thing in itself to 
the stammerer as can possibly be indulged in. Every in- 
halation should be made so as to fill the lower part of the 
lungs first and upper chest last. Deep breathing serves to 
give an erect carriage to the body, develops the chest and 
quickens the circulation. Filling the lungs full at each 
inhalation is the only proper way to breath when in the 
open air; thus the oxygen which is contained in greatest 
quantities in the open air, has a great chance to benefit by 
reaching the remotest part of the lungs. When stam- 
mering occurs, proper breathing is impossible. 

Eating is a habit which is very necessary to repair the 
waste and build new tissue, but which can be carried to 
extremes and oftentimes is. The stammerer, having his 
will weakened by continued failure, through trying to 
speak correctly, has more to contend with in this respect 
than though he were not a stammerer. The symptoms 
of indigestion are rather common to most people, and, 
suffice it to say that every indiscretion in eating leads to 
indigestion, which causes impoverished nerve force and 
consequently more than the usual difficulty in speaking. 
If a stammerer thinks and reasons as he is capable, he will 
know the amount he should eat, and properly exerted will- 
power should keep him within bounds. Fortunate is the 
stammerer who has a decidedly small feeding instinct. 
There is no chance of a person in health eating too little. 

Some stammerers are unbale to control their appetite. 
That which might be a hearty meal for one person would 
be slow starvation for another, therefore a stammerer 
should study his own needs and regulate his diet accord- 
ingly. 

Our physiology teaches us that white bread contains 
but little nutriment, therefore use whole wheat bread in- 
stead of white. Meat is a highly stimulating article of 



MENTAL HELPS FOR STAMMERERS 287 

diet, and stammerers should eat sparingly of it. Eat slowly 
and cheerfully; masticate thoroughly before swallowing; 
abstain from the use of tea, coffee or highly seasoned 
food, and do not drink while there is food in the mouth. 
Indigestion is an aggravating evil to stammerers. 

Sleep should be indulged in freely, as it is then that 
nature has the best opportunity to restore tone and vigor 
to mind and body. The nerves, which so much need rest 
in a stammerer, have a chance to regain their strength in 
sleep. Loss of needed sleep is another evil of the afflicted. 

Stammerers who are strictly moral have much better 
prospects of a sure, speedy cure than have those who may 
be immorally inclined. The very nature of the impediment 
shields the stammerer from bad influences, just as it closes 
the avenues of social pleasure. A healthy mind, clear 
conscience, and strong physical organism, serve to make a 
cure much nearer possible than if the conditions were 
just the opposite. A clean body goes hand in hand with a 
clean mind, and good health cannot exist in a permanently 
unclean body. 



MENTAL HELPS FOR STAMMERERS 

"There is nothing new under the sun." No matter 
what we write, think, or act, we shall find that we have 
echoed, and repeated the thoughts and actions of others 
gone before. Therefore, I do not hope to write anything 
new, but perhaps I may be able to put the subject in a 
somewhat new light and thereby cause someone to view 
his trouble and possible cure from a different and more 
hopeful standpoint, than he now sees it. 

Many will agree with me in the sweeping assertion 
that the stammering habit is, above all other afflictions, 
the most mortifying and distressing. 

Taken in the early stages in infancy, the cure is a 
simple matter, amounting to a preventive, in fact. If all 
parents understood the trouble in all its varied types, 



288 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

with the modes for prevention and cure, there need be no 
institutes erected for the treatment of this malady. 

When the young child shows signs of speech defects, 
whether inherited or acquired through imitation, the guar- 
dian can easily stop it at once and decidedly by employ- 
ing the right means. When speech is attempted and hesi- 
tation, repetition of sounds, or other signs of impediment 
are made manifest, stop all effort at once. Now, with the 
little one before you, in a gentle, kindly tone speak the 
words slowly and distinctly, while it follows you. In this 
practice, be careful to show the child how the lips and 
tongue are used, as well as how tone is produced. A lew 
lessons of this kind usually serve to put all such threaten- 
ings evils to flight at once and forever. I know this is 
true, because I have had the care of several young chil- 
dren, likely to develop into the most inveterate 
stammerers, and more, the malady seemed inherited, sev- 
eral of their family being sufferers, and yet these cases 
readily improved under this treatment. We cannot be too 
careful of these so-called little things, although some ig- 
norant or thoughtless people seem to think it needless to 
bother about the habits of children, claiming as a reason 
the certainty that they will outgrow them. How foolishly 
some really sensible people do talk ! Out of a thousand 
such cases one case may improve, while the other nine 
hundred and nmety-nine cases steadily grow worse. 

Speech is one of nature's means by which our feelings 
and wants are made known. Tone is the modification of 
speech, and breath the foundation of tone. Now, to get 
the latter, it is necessary to have full control of the former, 
which is possible to one who will practice simple breath- 
ing exercises. Of the true manner of inhaling, many 
persons, especially sufferers from the malady in question, 
have no idea or conception. 

Upper or mere chest breathing is a practice to be con- 
demned, where made habitual. 

Inarticulation is, to a considerable extent, due to the 



MENTAL HELPS FOR STAMMERERS 289 

careless habit of unnatural respiration. For the remedy 
of this habit, practice breathing exercises till the right 
way is well established. Take a deep, slow inspiration 
forcing the abdominal walls outward, then with the 
muscles of the diaphragm continue inhaling, while you 
count; ten at first, then let the breath expire in a slow, 
smooth volume. Now, practice a number of short breaths ; 
then the long breath over and over many times, making 
the counts longer, until forty and fifty can be reached. 
However, do not prolong the exercise till the tone trembles, 
as that is harmful to health. Have stated times, three or 
four each day, to practice and accustom yourself to the 
constant exercise of smooth and deep breathing, for on 
this depends the stammerer's main chances of recovery. 
Right here I will say that tight garments, and those which 
hang from the waist line, must not be worn; instead 
loose, comfortable clothing, with the weight supported 
from the shoulders, should be the habit of dress. Tight 
garments are injurious to health and a bar to the stam- 
merer's success, because they partially stop the breath, 
thus keeping the muscles which govern it from perform- 
ing their natural functions. 

The chief organ of speech is the larynx, situated in 
the throat. The opening to the larynx is calledthe glottis, 
which has a lid, the name of which is the epiglottis, which 
is open only when breathing. The epiglottis closes when 
swallowing is attempted, thus allowing the food or drink 
to pass safely over the esophagus, the passage which 
leads to the stomach. 

Speech is partly formed and modulated by the lips, 
teeth, tongue, and palate. 

In the adult stammerer the organs of speech, through a 
wrong use and undue strain, through ignorance or care- 
lessness, or both combined, have fallen into a state of par- 
tial uselessness. The parts, seldom used, become stiff and, 
to a certain extent, paralyzed, which necessarily impairs 
speech, and in trying to articulate, these parts fail in their 
function. The sufferer becomes excited in his vain fforts 

18 



29O HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

to speak. He sometimes throws the head forward, which 
closes the glottis, and cuts off the air passage, producing 
a most distressing sound, a broken gutteral, choppy at- 
tempt at utterance. The dreadful strain which invariably 
attends these frantic efforts, constantly keeps the muscles 
and organs, which form speech, in an irritated state, 
eventually creating diseases of the throat, chest, and 
lungs, often ending in the most severe and fatal maladies. 

Let none foolishly imagine an instantaneous cure pos- 
sible. There is no such thing. The path that leads to 
victory must be steep and hilly. The habit that grows 
with the body's growth, is truly a stubborn and tenacious 
thing. To destroy it root and branch, patience, persever- 
ance and many other virtues, with a strong, determined 
will, must be enforced till the habit is eliminated. 

For the health of the physical body, a great number 
of exercises may be practiced to advantage, providing they 
are not carried to excess. The best time for this is when 
the body is rested. Two hours after meals is the most 
advantageous time. At all times, in all places, sleeping 
or walking, excepting following severe physical exercise, 
it is Important to breath through the nostrils; 
while the lips are kept closed, unless speaking, singing 
or taking food and drink. Walking is among the very 
best of exercises, as it brings nearly all the muscles into 
play. Ordinarily, most persons would be the better for a 
daily walk of four or five miles. Rowing, swimming, 
fencing, boxing, varied systems of gymnastics, horseback 
riding and other forms of exercises may be added. There 
is no cast iron set of rules that will do for each one. 
Each individual should try and find out the particular 
treatment best adapted for his own case, then stick to it. 
The daily routine of life, the manner of eating, sleeping, 
drinking, and of exercising generally, that would build 
up robust manhood in some, would prove detrimental to 
the health of others. The rule which is generally best 
to follow, is persistency of purpose and moderation in all 
things. 



MENTAL HELPS FOR STAMMERERS 29 1 

We are told that, "As a man thinketh in his heart, so 
is he," the truth of which we have no right to doubt. 
Every member of the human family must prefer happiness 
and ease in this life, and all could have it, too, if they 
but knew how. Ignorance of causes, and the consequences 
attending, bring pain, sickness and death. 

We often hear people lamenting over their afflictions, 
and wonder why a just and feeling God sends them such 
hard trials; when they in their ignorance and wrong atti- 
tude toward Him — The Law — brought this trouble upon 
themselves. God always keeps His promises. It is we 
who fail to do our part, disregarding the law that fills 
our lives with inharmony. Now, the very puzzling prob- 
lem of disease and troubles of every kind is solved in the 
relation which exists between the mind and body. 

The body is kept in strength and health according to 
the purity of the mind. Right and good thoughts bring 
peace and happiness, while bad thoughts reverse the re- 
sults. Gloomy, ill-natured, morbid thoughts invite the con- 
ditions of hopeless despair. 

Ills of every nature are mental in origin, in growth 
and maturity. In the proper thought control we find the 
means that leads to a cure of all sickness, sorrow and 
trouble. Now, this is dealing with cause, leaving the ef- 
fects alone. The human mind, like a loom, is ever wear- 
ing. Our thoughts form the material for both warp and 
woof, or filling. If the thoughts we gather and weave 
are good and pure, the fabric — our life — is good, useful 
and beautiful. 

The mind fashions and rules over destiny. It brings 
peace and health conditions, or those of darkness and 
despair. Either God and Heaven, or the Devil and Hell. 

In the event of birth we are brought into the world 
to buffet the waves of the dread sea of life — of right and 
wrong. To avoid the dangers of wreck and ruin, we must 
exercise the knowledge and power which lies dormant in 
every creature. 



292 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

We receive our mental impressions from the influences 
which surround us, if they are good, then is the character 
good. The thoughts and impressions, or a composition of 
both which bring us blessings or curses or a mixture of 
both, the real character most commonly found in people 
must be good or bad. We get ideas and suggestions 
in the conscious mind; the sub-conscious mind seizes them 
and uses them to build out visible body in strength 
or weakness according to their good or evil quali- 
ties. , Now, suppose a loved and trusted friend names a 
positive cure for our besetting sin or ill habit, how gladly 
do we try it; finding sure enough our sin or habit vanish- 
ing, because of the faith we exercise in our adviser, not so 
much because of the efficacy of the remedy itself. Here, as 
elsewhere, unbelief through ignorance cuts us off from 
these blessings. Because it is unseen, we cannot trust in 
this great force. Our sub-conscious minds stand to us as 
the healer of all our ills; by using the good and hopeful 
suggestions of others, we can be our own counselor 
and healer in the matter of diverting and curing ills. Let 
us try it in this trouble of speech. As God's little ones we 
are entitled to every blessing, even perfect speech, so we 
trust Him for it, and that part of us which is unperishable, 
and has it's being with God. Daily, hourly, we believing, 
give ourselves forceful suggestions to the effect that our 
troubles are vanishing, and soon will be gone. Each 
night we fall asleep with this idea uppermost in the mind, 
and so sure as we do this, we will, after a little time, find 
ourselves, as we in our hearts believe. To get this idea 
of right thinking fixed in the mind, is the only trouble. 
After the habit of trusting is once formed, it is easier 
than that of doubting. I hope my readers understand my 
meaning; if so, and this habit of trusting in self and 
God is once fixed in the mind, it will be easier than that of 
doubting. The darkness which now envelopes you will 
turn to light, the cravings of the heart will be realized, 
all doubt and fear will flee away, faith and hope will be 



A STAMMERER S VIEW OF STAMMERING 293 

established, and you will enjoy that great "peace of mind 
that passeth all understanding." 



A STAMMERER'S VIEW OF STAMMERING AND 

STUTTERING 

In the progress and advancement of the nineteenth cen- 
tury, surely no blacker cloud of mystery has been pierced 
than that of the true cause of stammering. In former 
days this affliction was considered almost non-curable. To 
be sure, quack doctors performed their tricks on hapless 
victims, but in nine cases out of ten the patients were 
made worse rather than better. Now, institutions are 
being erected for the betterment of this dread disease 
which not only say they will cure, but do it. Thoughtful 
men have dug down to the root of this evil and are now 
offering their ideas to speech sufferers everywhere. 
Surely, we stammerers ought to be thankful that we are 
living in this day and age of the world 1 

Stammering and stuttering were once confounded, but 
of late years have been separated, and now each has its 
own meaning. Stammering is the inability of the will to 
control, at times, the organs of articulation, accompanied 
by a spasmodic action and a hesitating manner. Stuttering 
is the rapid repetition of one sound or syllable caused by 
imperfect breathing and articulation. The former is 
mental, being a disease of the mind, and is often accom- 
panied by facial contortions or drawing of the limbs. 
Stuttering is a physical defect, and is often accompanied 
by a spasmodic action of the whole body. 

Stammering can be divided into four main classes : 
those cases caused by heredity, fright, mimicry or sickness. 
There are other causes, but these are the most common 
ones. 

Cases resulting from heredity are the most severe. Here 



294 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

the state of the mind is abnormal and needs special 
training to educate the defect. 

There are fewer cases resulting from fright than from 
any other of the four causes. The affliction is usually 
caused by a shock to the nervous system, or by a previously 
timid and shy disposition. 

Mimicry has produced at least one-fourth of the cases 
of stammering. Those who mimic stammerers soon find 
that the very thing they were deriding has fastened itself 
on them and then it is too late to repent. At first the 
difficulty presents the physical evidences of stuttering, but, 
by worry and mental agitation, it develops into mental 
stammering. 

Persons who attribute their affliction to sickness, usually 
possess a predisposed weak control of the will over the 
organs of speech, which, combined with a high fever in 
sickness, such as smallpox, measles, scarlet fever and 
typhoid fever, results in stammering. This would indicate 
that stammering is a disease of the mind. 

In former days, and to some extent at the present day, 
people attributed stammering to defective speech organs. 
But that, this idea is entirely false, is proved by the 
fact that the sufferer can at times speak very fluently 
and without hesitation or embarrassment, while at other 
times he can hardly speak two words or raise his voice 
above a whisper. 

In the early stages of the affliction, one rarely finds real 
stammering; it is then stuttering, which afterwards, by 
mental agitation, becomes stammering. 

Before stuttering has developed into stammering, 
the difficulty could easily be eradicated, as it is truly habit 
only. But how fast it grows; day after day, week 
after week ; the stammerer sees this horrible monster before 
him grow from a tiny, easily-overcome difficulty, to a tow- 
ering monster far beyond his control. The days of his 
childhood-ignorance are over, and now he is daily forced 
to fight this monster which bars the way to business suc- 
cess, society's pleasures, or even sweet peace of mind. He 



A STAMMERER S VIEW OF STAMMERING 295 

realizes that he is lacking in the gifts which are bestowed 
on others, and often he thinks of the lines: 

"Forsaken, forsaken, forsaken am I; 

Like a stone in the causeway my buried hopes lie." 

Before we can proceed to find a means of cure, we must 
first consider the organs of speech and respiration. We 
have found that stammering is imperfect speech. Now, 
what is this thing called speech? Speech is articulated 
breath, or, more properly articulated voice. It is the 
means by which we convey our thoughts to others, and is 
one of God's greatest gifts. 

The lips and teeth, each have their own office to per- 
form, as you can readily observe if you sound the con- 
sonants. 

Breath is to tone what tone is to articulate speech — 
the foundation. To possess articulate speech one must first 
have breath, and a good control of it. To one long used 
to a wrong method of breathing, it is a tedious task to get 
full control of his breathing apparatus. To get this con- 
trol, simple breathing exercises are of great value. 

Let us first consider the relation of breathing exercises 
to a possible cure. When we wish to strengthen any part 
of the body, we exercise it. This granted, it is easily seen 
that by exercising that part of the brain wherein lies the 
stammerer's deficiency, we can give the will absolute con- 
trol over the organs of respiration. If we exercise the 
diaphragm, that which gives the command, is also exer- 
cised. Thus we see that by train mg the mind to con- 
trol the organs and functions concerned in speech, we 
find a ready response to our desires. 

Here are a few simple exercises for practice: Inhak 
slowly, counting five, hold the breath, counting five, and 
exhale while again counting five. At first, short counts are 
necessary, as it is often difficult to inflate the lungs on 
long counts, but after some practice it is very easy to 
take longer counts. The exercises, if followed several 
times every day, will add to bodily health and will im- 
prove the talking. 



296 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

Reading aloud is a beneficial exercise, which, if prac- 
ticed perseveringly, will relieve one of the embarrassments 
from which the stammerer suffers. Control the breath 
and read slowly, thereby quieting the nerves. Read arti- 
cles of which you know the subject matter, for then 
you do not need to pay attention to anything but the 
manner in which you are pronouncing your words. 

Physical exercises are one of the most important aids 
to a cure. They subject the muscles to the power and 
influence of the mind, Outdoor exercise is one of the 
best things for physical development. Gymnasium work 
is very beneficial, but if one has not access to a good 
gymnasium, use Indian-clubs and dumb-bells, pulleys and 
such apparatus. Physical exercises tend to improve the 
general health, breathing exercises aid in this development, 
and vocal exercises mellow and strengthen the voice. 

Stammering is manifested in the lack of harmony be- 
tween the muscles producing speech. No one will doubt 
that the stammerer has thoughts that he desires to speak. 

The link between mental desire and physical action, is 
the organ at fault. There is lacking in action the neces- 
sary stimulus of the mind and body required for the coor- 
dination of the functions concerned in the rendering of 
speech. This lack of harmony produces stammering. 

The mental phase of the affliction concerns the nervous 
system. 

The nervous system is a set of fibers which connect all 
parts of the body with the brain and at the same time act 
as messenbers of sensation, thought, volition and emotion. 

The brain is the seat of mind, conscience thought 
and feeling, and of all thoughts and desires. A motory 
nerve conveys these desires to the particular muscles 
designated to perform such, and as long as everything 
works in harmony, fluent speech is the result. But all 
at once, by force of habit, the mind refuses to perform 
its duty. Thoughts accumulating faster than action, are 
being piled up, the stammerer gets embarrassed, fear 



POINTED ADVICE TO STAMMERERS 297 

enters his brain, and confusion of words and actions en- 
sues, causing stammering. 

If one wishes to be successful he must cultivate will- 
power, and especially is it important to the stammerer. 
He must acquire the habit of willing strongly. 

The constant state of fear which every stammerer en- 
tertains keeps his nerves continually agitated. The dread 
and fear that he may not be able to speak fluently, and 
the anxiety to do so, combine to further his difficulty. 
Nervousness is by many supposed to be the cause of 
stammering, but as a proof that this is not so, it is found 
that as soon as the impediment is cured, the nervousness 
disappears. 

No cure, however reasonable, can be effected without 
favorable conditions. The pupil's home-life must be sur- 
rounded with moral influences, and he must be continually 
under the eye of his instructor. He must have the proper 
food and rest, and his changes of diet and hour of 
retiring must be carefully restricted. 

Practice exercises which will give the mind absolute 
control of the organs; live a life of morality, and sum- 
mon to your aid all the will-power you can. Determine 
to stop stammering. 



POINTED ADVICE TO STAMMERERS 

Stammering and stuttering have been used synon- 
ymously, but there is a difference. Both are manifested in 
the vocal and enunciative organs, causing a hesitancy and 
difficulty of utternace. Stammering is the inability to 
utter a word, — holding the breath. Stuttering is a repe- 
tition of words. The organs meet and rebound again and 
again in reiteration of syllables before words can be 
formed. The source of this trouble is principally in the 
lower jaw, but by proper exercises and by training this 
organ stammering can be controlled and speech conveyed 
perfectly. Stuttering is generally accompanied by some 



298 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

degree of stammering, and while generally considered dif- 
ferent, they mutually aggravate each other. 

Stammering is more of a mental trouble, originating 
in a lack of coordination. The mind acts faster than the 
vocal organs can obey. That stammering is of mental 
origin, can be proved in many ways. The evidence of 
the difficulty however is physical amounting to conlations 
of various muscles. 

I have in mind a stammerer who not only is troubled 
while speaking, but also manifests her stammering in 
playing on the piano, and in writing. There are times 
when this unfortunate one can speak quite fluently and 
perform well on the piano (when she feels well and cheer- 
ful), but, if she is ill, or if her spirits are depressed, the 
stammering affects both her speaking and playing. She 
writes rapidly, but her thoughts come fast, causing a con- 
fusion in writing. Frequently she leaves out a letter, or 
makes only part of one, for example, in writing w, she 
may write it woh, etc. This occurs more often when she 
is writing at length or is merged in deep thought. By 
this it is evident that the hand, in trying to keep pace 
with the mind, falters, or rather the mind, in burdening 
itself with so many thoughts at one time, becomes con- 
fused and guides the hand in a like manner. 

With speech this confusion is greater as the mechanism 
and actions of the vocal organs in their relation one toward 
another is more complicated than the mechanical actions 
of the hand. 

The aim of the stammerer is to overcome or correct 
his difficulty, and the first step in this direction is accom- 
plished through maintaining good health by obeying the 
laws of health. 

Our physical and mental organizations are a sympa- 
thetic whole, so closely related that the slightest disregard 
of the one will find a corresponding sympathy in the other ; 
therefore, we should endeavor to maintain a perfect equil- 



POINTED ADVICE TO STAMMERERS 299 

ibrium between mind and body. Self-control is another 
potent factor in a cure for stammering. This control is 
not acquired in a day, but by patient and continued effort. 
Take one thing at a time and quietly but firmly resist the 
temptation to do that which you know would be injurious. 
After one victory has been won, the next will be easier. 

By control we do not mean only the outward control 
of the body, but of the muscles, emotional and mental 
faculties. 

The stammerer should constantly bear in mind that 
fear, anger, worry and excitement are among the most 
dangerous foes to fluent speech. To frighten any one, 
especially a little child, amounts almost to sin. Fright 
shocks the nervous system, the breath comes in gasps, 
the equilibrium is destroyed, consequently speech is im- 
paired. 

The acquirement of the power of speaking begins early 
in life, and it is often that the stammering habit is formed 
at this time, in mismanagement of the breath and vocal 
organs; made habitual before the powers of reason and 
observation are developed. 

Some of the worst forms of impediment are due to 
the want of proper direction in producing the elementary 
sounds, when children fail to speak them correctly by 
natural imitation; by patient training and right methods 
by the parents or teachers, the children may be taught 
to articulate plainly and slowly. 

Parents too often put off the attempt to correct the 
impediments of speech in their children, with the hope 
that the defect will disappear as the child grows older and 
stronger, but this hope is scarcely ever realized, and the 
habit is formed, which from constant practice grows 
stronger and stronger, and perhaps results in hindrance 
to education. To remove this habit, much depends on the 
acquirement of voluntary control over the mechanical 
agents of speech, also on the cultivation of correct speak- 
ing, which can only be accomplished by studying the 
process of speech, the relation of breath to articulate 



300 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

sounds, the position of the tongue and other vocal organs 
in forming the outward stream of air. 

All sounds originate in the throat and all effort in 
speech must be thrown back behind the articulating or- 
gans, which must be kept passive, yielding to the air, 
always opening to give it exit and never resisting it by 
ascent of the tongue or of the jaw. The head must be held 
firmly on the neck, to give free play to the attached 
organs, and the great principle must never be lost sight 
of, that speech is breath, and that while distinctness 
depends on precision and sharpness of the oral actions, 
fluency depends on the unrestrained emission ' of the 
material of speech — the air we breathe. 

From the foregoing, will be seen the necessity of 
restoring normal breathing by exercises for that purpose. 
The highest authorities have recognized the importance 
of breathing exercises. Many people do not breathe deeply 
enough. In deep exhalations the impure air from the 
lungs is sent out, while deep inhalations fill the lungs 
with pure air and purify the blood. 

Speaking when breathing properly is a healthful exer- 
cise, but violent or long continued effort is harmful to 
the chest if the lungs are not kept filled with air. 

All stammerers should make it a special point to speak 
slowly and distinctly, as in their haste to get through 
with what they have to say before they stumble on some 
word, or to conceal their impediment, their words are 
jumbled together in a manner hard to be understood, 
causing the person to whom they are speaking to ask for 
a repetition of what they have said. The second effort 
at speaking will be worse than the first, as the stam- 
merer dreads to reply to a question. 

One who stammers should cultivate measure and 
rhythm in all that he does, in speaking as well as in prac- 
ticing music. The benefit of this is demonstrated by the fact 
that a stammerer can sing, and read poetry better than 
prose. Measure also helps to maintain the equilibrium 
between the mind and organs of speech. 



TREATMENT FOR STAMMERING 301 

Anything that strengthens the confidence in one's 
ability will help to promote fluent speech. 

One of the stammerer's greatest difficulties is the feel- 
ing that he cannot speak, and in realizing this comes 
nervousness, confusion and embarrassment, which reacts 
on the organs of speech. Now, if he could realize or 
bring himself to know that he can talk whenever he 
wants to, or under any circumstances, his mind would 
relax from nervous tension. 

Exercises, breathing, vocal and physical, benefit the 
speech by restoring to the vocal organs their right use, 
the wrong use of which, acquired by habit, causes this 
feeling of inability when attempting to speak. The mind 
appreciates the right use of the organs of speech. Con- 
fidence in the power to speak comes like a ray of light 
which grows brighter and brighter with each successful 
effort in speaking, until the full realization is effected of 
free and unfettered speech. 



TREATMENT FOR STAMMERING 

It is surprising, when we consider the advancement 
made by science during the last half century, that it 
is only within the past fifteen or twenty years that any 
intelligent thought has been given to the cure of stam- 
mering. The orphan, the cripple, the deaf and dumb, 
the insane and the aged have homes provided for them at 
the expense of the public, but practically no recognition 
has been given to the infirmity of stammering, the saddest 
and most deplorable of all afflictions. 

The fact that severe cases of stammering are infre- 
quently met with has a tendency to set the sufferer apart 
from his fellows and to make him an object of curiosity, 
and, what is often harder to endure, pity. 

Ridiculed by his playmates, perchance given but 
little sympathy in his home, the victim of stammering 
finds himself even in his childhood cut off from partici- 



302 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

pating in the pleasures of others. Conscious of his afflic- 
tion, he shrinks from exhibiting it even in the presence 
of his associates and, in consequence, he withdraws more 
and more from society and broods upon his infirmity. Thus 
what might have been merely a physical trouble develops 
into a deep-seated mental disease. Nervousness and 
embarrassment greatly increase the difficulty and children 
who are roughly treated at this stage often become 
nervous wrecks. 

If it could be impressed upon the minds of the parents 
of stuttering children that kind and sympathetic treatment 
in the home would do much toward effecting a cure, 
many cases of stammering would be wholly prevented. 

Stuttering is not infrequently met with in nervous, 
highly organized children, and in some cases may be 
ultimately overcome by intelligent home-treatment. But 
if the child's attention is constantly drawn to the defect, 
if he is scolded for his hesitancy and obliged to say words 
which are difficult, the mental complication is apt to fol- 
low. 

If possible, the stuttering child should begin his educa- 
tion at home. A competent nurse or governess and later 
on a private tutor should be employed for that purpose. 

However, if the circumstances of the parents are such 
as to make this impossible, and the child must attend a 
public school, if any, the mother should make the teacher 
her confident. The teacher's interest aroused, she will 
cooperate with the mother in his training. The school 
children should not be allowed to ridicule or mimic him. 
Children naturally imitate any peculiarity of speech, and 
if they do this, they not only increase the sensitiveness 
and humiliation of the stutterer, but acquire the habit 
themselves. A little watchfulness on the part of the 
teacher will secure obedience in this respect. Children's 
sympathies are very ready, and once they are enlisted in 
behalf of the little unfortunate, and they understand why 
they should be kind, their thoughtfulness will be very 
noticable. He should be kept from association with other 



TREATMENT FOR STAMMERING 303 

children who stammer or stutter, and if there are such 
children in the school they should not be permitted to 
sit near, or to recite together. Do not encourage too 
close application to study. As the brain developes and 
begins to grapple with the problems of life, consciousness 
of his infirmity will increase. Stuttering children are 
usually very bright and delight in study. The mind should 
be developed gradually and any agitation should be 
avoided. 

Much attention should be given to the building up of 
a strong, healthy body. If there is a gymnasium in the 
school the stutterer should belong, and he should have 
his playroom at home fitted up with such apparatus as 
will help him to develop and control his muscles. Sim- 
ple physical exercises, followed by a cold bath, should be 
taken every morning. The reason for this is apparent. 
Stammering, it is conceded by authorities on the subject, 
is caused by the muscles of the body refusing to act in 
response to the dictates of the mind. Thus it naturally 
follows that such exercises as tend to increase the power 
of the mind over the muscles, must necessarily help to 
correct defective speech. As the child becomes interested 
in his physical exercises his mind will gain more and 
more control over his muscles. The development of will- 
power, will also serve to assist in the control of mind 
over the organs of speech. He will have a healthy body 
and a bright, clear mind as a reward for work which is a 
real pleasure to him. 

A correct breathing habit is most important. With the 
physical exercises should come breathing exercises to 
develop the organs of respiration and increase the capa- 
city of the lungs. Vocal exercises, for the same reason, 
and also because they strengthen and mellow the voice, 
should be included in the drills. Teach the stuttering 
child to speak slowly, never in a hurried, excited man- 
ner. Before speaking, he should take a deep, full breath, 
and then speak slowly and in a modulated voice, and never 
after the air in the lungs has been exhausted. 



304 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

All children should keep regular hours, and have plenty 
of sleep. This is absolutely necessary in cases of stam- 
mering and stuttering. The mind and nerves need rest 
and nothing builds them up as quickly as natural, restful 
sleep. 

Care should be given to the diet as well as to the manner 
of eating. Highly seasoned foods and both coffee and 
tea are injurious. Food which is easily digested and 
which builds up the nerves and muscles should be pro- 
vided. Eating slowly, moderately and at regular hours, 
is important. 

In caring for the child's physical needs the parent 
should not forget the important part a cheerful home 
atmosphere plays in the life of the child. Make the home 
at all times "a haven of rest." Only those who stammer 
or have stammered, can realize the agony of mind, the 
humiliation and misery of the stammerer. Parents who 
do not stammer and who have stammering or stuttering 
children must constantly guard against betraying any im- 
patience, no matter how trying the circumstances may be. 
Stammerers are abnormally sensitive and should never be 
treated as objects of pity, nor, on the other hand, should 
they be petted and indulged because of their affliction. 
In fact, the kindest consideration that can be shown a 
child who stammers is to seemingly ignore his impediment. 
Treat him kindly and firmly and in all respects as you 
would the normal child. Such children are usually active 
and energetic, and need quite as much discipline as the 
ordinary child. He must not be punished because he 
stutters or his stuttering made an excuse for not punishing 
him, when his misbehavior merits such measures. Stut- 
tering children are easily conquered by appealing to their 
better natures, however. At the best, they are shut off 
from much of the brightness of life and readily appreciate 
gentle treatment. 

The writer does not attempt to prove that all children 
suffering from defective speech can be cured at home. 



TREATMENT FOR STAMMERING 305 

It is a fact, however, that all such children would be 
benefited by the treatment here briefly outlined. All 
authorities on stammering agree that many of the worst 
types of stammering might have been cured by just 
such simple exercises as have been mentioned, had they 
been practiced faithfully in early childhood. 

Parents, wake up to your responsibility ! The subject 
merits your thoughtful consideration. Do not indifferently 
fold your hands and wait for your child to "outgrow" his 
stuttering. He will never do it. Make a study of the sub- 
ject. Read all you can and gain what knowedge you can 
by observation. Begin by teaching him to breathe prop- 
erly; to speak slowly and correctly. Give every attention 
to his health. A strong, healthy body is a good foundation 
for cure. Study his individual case. Children differ so 
widely no set rules can be laid down for all cases. They 
must be elastic enough to be adapted to the individual. 
The parents, themselves, if they make a study of their 
child's disposition and peculiarities, will know intuitively 
what measures are needed. 

If, after having received intelligent care in the home, 
the child reaches his tenth year and is still a stutterer, 
or, perhaps, by this time a stammerer, the parents ought 
not to longer postpone sending him to an institution 
established for the purpose of treating such afflictions. If 
he is not cured by his tenth year his case will probably 
never yield to the simple exercises that can be given at 
home, and it is now imperative that he be placed under the 
care of a competent instructor who has devoted his life 
to the study of such diseases. Parents should not neglect 
this, or allow anything to stand in the way of giving a 
child the best treatment obtainable. No sacrifice is too 
great to save a child from the horrors of a life blighted by 
the saddest of all afflictions — stammering. 



19 



THE EXPERIENCE OF A STAMMERER 

While scientists are endeavoring to make a distinction 
between stammer and stutter, and confine to each the 
slight difference they establish, popular usage has made 
them synonyms. 

Referring to the philology of both, we find stammer to 
be a pure Saxon word, but closely allied to the Icelandic 
stamra, to be silent, while stutter is traced to the Ger- 
man stottern and Danish stooten, to stop. So far as the 
origin of the two words is concerned, the non-scientific 
mind may use them interchangeably without challenge. 

It has been claimed that a stammerer will always show 
his defect in singing, while a stutterer will not. I have 
always been able in singing to enunciate the words per- 
fectly, and without the least trouble. It seems curious 
that, out of a family of six, I am the only one able to 
carry a tune. Some of the others can hum correctly 
enough, but cannot sing. 

I attribute my defective speech to ill-health in child- 
hood and to the consequent derangement of the nervous 
s)'-stem. When a youngster of four or thereabouts, I was 
struck on the ankle by a croquet-bali. This caused an in- 
jury to the bone which made me an invalid for six months. 
Two years later I had to lie for another six months with 
hip-joint disease, and shortly after that had an attack of 
measles. I stuttered slightly after the former trouble and 
after the measles it became more noticeable. 

Naturally of a nervous disposition, illness and isolation 
developed this to a high degree, and the more ill at ease 
I felt, the more I stammered. If I had to ask or answer 
a question, it was much worse than when I spoke without 
premeditation. This was also the case when anyone tried 
to help me out with a word or to hurry me in speaking. 



THE EXPERIENCE OF A STAMMERER 307 

But if a friend did not appear to notice my impediment, 
or spoke of it as if it were a mere nothing, I eould talk 
without much trouble; while the more notice was taken, 
the harder it was for me to speak. 

No one was ever so cruel as to mock or imitate me. If 
one had, it would have been still more difficult, and instead 
of my affliction becoming slighter, as will began to dom- 
inate nerves, I should have had much more to contend 
with. I advise all young people, for their own sakes, 
on no account, mock or imitate those who stammer, 
for in my observation, it is a trick easily learned but 
harder to lay aside. Imitating a fellow-schoolmate just 
for fun, made one boy a miserable stammerer for life. 
His victim, by help of a wise and patient teacher, over- 
came his failing entirely, but the mocker found it impos- 
sible to get rid of a habit begun in fun. 

I have always been treated kindly and patiently by 
most of my schoolmates and especially by the teachers. 
When I left home for college, some friends told my 
mother that I would not stay a week on account of the> 
boys teasing and laughing at me. I went expecting to 
be ridiculed, with my mind made up to bear all, and not 
go home till the usual time, but only on one occasion did 
any boy refer to my stutter in an unkind way, and I was 
astonished to hear all the other boys shout, "shut up." 
I have always thought that some one of the professors 
must have said something to cause them to treat me with 
so much consideration. 

But if the boys did not laugh at me, I had plenty of 
trouble in other ways. My impediment kept me from 
taking part in any public debate, and at a social gathering 
I always imagined that people did not want to hear me, 
or rather see me, try to talk. This always made me 
worse, in fact sometimes I could hardly utter a word in 
company, whereas if I had not thought about it, I could 
have spoken with comparative ease. At home I could 
take the chief part of the conversation without any 
trouble — sometimes I would stutter, sometimes not at all, 



308 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

and they all gave me credit for being able to hold my 
own in a very talkative family. 

Weather, too, seemed to affect me considerably. Dur- 
ing a long draught, I would be almost free from any in- 
convenience whatever, but the rainier the season the more 
hesitating my speech. This seems to agree with the theory 
that stammering -is an affection of the vocal and enuncia- 
tive organs — still, it has always seemed to me that could 
I get entirely over my nervousness, my trouble would be 
gone, and this makes me inclined to believe that a wise 
and careful teacher could accomplish the same end by a 
judicious system of enunciatory and respiratory exercises 
— for if I once had perfect confidence in my own ability to 
talk as others do, the nervousness would cease. 

I also found the defect a great drawback in my choice 
of an occupation. Professions were out of the question, 
every one towards which I had any leaning required a 
fluent tongue. The same was true of business — a ready 
tongue to sell or barter was the chief requisite. I had no 
taste for art, literature or desk work as a means of 
livelihood, so my choice was limited indeed. 

Circumstances led me to fruit-growing, and I have no 
doubt that the outdoor life helped me greatly, though it 
would have done me much good could I have mingled 
more with city-bred men, and had the opportunity to 
imbibe some of their easy address. Many times as I grew 
older I flattered myself that I had made some progress in 
remedying my defect, and that it would soon be conquered 
altogether. Then trouble of some kind would come along 
and the worry would leave me almost where I was before. 
Still, I do not stutter nearly so badly as I did, for I can 
sometimes carry on a conversation with strangers 
without the least trouble, but the more I fancy they notice 
it the more embarrassed I become, and the less able to 
control my speech. 

A lady once said that a winter in town would cure me 
entirely, as it would enable me to be so constantly meeting 
with strangers that the fear of comment, with its con- 



THE EXPERIENCE OF A STAMMERER 309 

sequent embarrassment, would soon wear off. But I 
have been told so many cures that, if successful, there 
need never be a stammerer left. Most of these cures were 
by hearsay; not one of the parties could tell the cause of 
the stammer, but all could advise as to the treatment. 
Why is it that nearly everyone can tell how to heal a 
disease and cure a failing, provided they have never had 
anything to do with it themselves? It reminds me of an 
old gentleman whose horse was sick, and the neighbors 
came trooping in to prescribe; one advised one thing as 
sure to cure, another brought something totally different 
which he was equally sure would be a certain cure, and 
so on until the owner became bewildered. Finally 
he said, "Gentlemen, just tell me what the matter is, and 
I'll easily find out how to cure him." Not one could 
diagnose the poor horse's disease correctly, or, indeed, at 
all. I sometimes wonder if I had been minus a limb, how 
much information I could have received towards growing 
a new one. 

It is said of Canon Kingsley that while he stuttered 
badly in private talk, in pulpit or on platform his speech 
was unfettered, and he spoke fluently and well. I 
have noticed people quite free from this defect on ordi- 
nary occasions, stutter badly if called upon to make an 
unaccustomed speech, or if they lost their tempers would 
be quite unable to complete what they wanted to say. 
But I never yet heard of the man whose stutter 
prevented his swearing as readily as he wanted to. 
Some seem able to tumble out the oaths so fast that it 
seems a pity they are not entirely tongue-tied in this direc- 
tion. I have no doubt that such was the opinion of the 
good ladies who gave a supper to the sailors of a certain 
port. The latter put up one of their number to make a 
speech of thanks. He commenced easily enough, but soon 
began to falter, then stood silent, unable to utter a word, 
while his face twitched and his lips moved in such a ludi- 
crous way that another sailor sitting near began to grin 
and laugh. Thereupon the thought of the first underwent 



310 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

a change, and turning to his comrade he cursed him 
roundly and fluently. 

In spite of the general forbearance and consideration 
there are still those who thnk this a good subject for 
practical joking, and a story which raises the laugh by 
relating some trick played on the stammerer is considered 
good fun. A man lounging on the sidewalk of a small 
country town was accosted by a stranger who stammered 
and asked, "Please, sir, will you tell me where to get some 
matches?" He directed him by a roundabout road to 
the store, then quickly took the shortest way himself. Get- 
ting there he asked the storekeeper, "Have you any 
m m-m-matches ?" After carefully inspecting them he said, 
"I didn't want any m-m-m-matches," laughed, and walked 
out as the stammerer was passing in. When the poor stam- 
merer asked for matches in exactly the same manner, he 
was requested in language more forcible than polite to 
leave the premises, and on attempting to speak still 
further was summarily ejected by the angry merchant, 
who thought it was a trick planned to make a fool of him. 

One authority asserts that as a rule stammerers are of 
feeble intellect and possess weak bodly powers, but such 
has not been my experience. I have at present working 
fur me a man with two sons and all three stammer; the 
man is as intelligent as any in the neighborhood and very 
superior to the average farm hand, while the boy who 
stammers worst is the brightest of the family and a quick, 
efficient worker. 

As to bodily strength — since I outgrew my early 
weakened condition, I am healthy and well. 

For the last fifteen years I have taken a full share of 
all the farm operations — clearing, fencing, ploughing, 
planting, harvesting, hauling, shipping, building, stock- 
raising, even well-digging — and I find few men who can 
outdo me in vigor and endurance. In our berry season I 
am at work from 5 a. m. till 12 or 1 o'clock at night, day 
after day, yet I can do as much or more than my hands 
who work their ten hours and then go home to supper and 
bed. 



THE EXPERIENCE OF A STAMMERER 311 

While I cannot vouch for the accuracy of every detail, 
of the story I am about to relate, it being a good many 
years since I heard it, yet the substance, as follows, is 
correct : 

Somewhere in Wales (I believe it was), there was a 
Wesleyan station which gave the worthy brethren of the 
conference much anxiety, and no small amount of heart 
quakings, the cause being that a brawny blacksmith in 
that vicinity, a most irreligious man and notorious swearer, 
having been reproved by the preacher, vowed that Metho- 
dist service should henceforth be abolished in his neigh- 
borhood, and gave the poor parson such a "drubbing" as 
caused him to resign the charge in fear of his life. A new 
man was at once appointed, but the blacksmith met him 
on his way with a volley of curses and such terrifying 
threats that he deemed discretion the better part of valor, 
and meekly retired from the field. The smithy commanded 
the approach to the village, and every stranger who 
passed was interviewed by its owner. Preacher after 
preacher took the field, but none could withstand the 
doughty blacksmith, who did not scruple to use violence 
where the gentler method of threat and oath failed to 
convince them of the futility of resistance. Conference 
held a gloomy meeting. Not even the inducement of extra 
good pay could persuade one of the worthy brethren to 
risk his reputation and his bones with such an antagonist 
In fact, when a call was made for a volunteer to this par- 
ticular circuit, silence reigned. At last, up from the 
further corner rose a little, spare man, meek-faced and 
soft-eyed, one who always was given the hardest work and 
poorest paying stations, and only got them because no 
other brother could possibly live upon the meager pay. 
He stammered very badly, but ridicule and well-meant 
advice had not deterred him from following his chosen 
work. In words, even more hesitating from the excite- 
ment of the moment, he asked that he might be appointed 
to the station in question. 

"You," said the bishop, and the monosyllable exactly 



312 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

expressed the thought of all present. "There's no one 
else, brother," stammered the little man apologetically. 

This was an unanswerable argument, so Brother 

was duly appointed. The following Sunday he was riding 
pleasantly along the road which led past the smithy, en- 
joying the morning, when a loud voice called, "Halt." It 
was the blacksmith, furious at the thought that his enemies 
had returned to the field. 

"Where are you going?" he demanded. The rider in- 
dicated the chapel with his finger. 

"What for?" was next asked. "To preach, brother," 
stammered the preacher with a rising inflection on the 
last syllable of his sentence. 

"No, you're not," said the blacksmith. 

"O, yes, I am," said the preacher. 

"Go home," said the blacksmith, "you puny, miserable, 
stammering bag o' bones. Haven't they told you what I 
do to the preachers that insist they're going to preach — I 
make 'em see stars, I tell you." 

"Do, you?" stammered the preacher. "Well, I'm going 
to preach, brother, and you're coming to hear me, brother." 

Thereupon the blacksmith swore dreadfully, calling 
down all manner of vengeance on himself, did he ever 
darken the doors of a Methodist chapel. 

"Brother," said the preacher, "it's wicked to swear." 

This so enraged the blacksmith that he cried out to the 
preacher to come down and he would make mincemeat of 
him. 

"With pleasure, brother, let me tie my horse first. He 
might get away," stammered the parson. 

The blacksmith consenting to this the horse was se- 
curely tied, and the preacher, laying aside his coat and 
turning up his sleeves, signified that he was ready. His 
opponent aimed a terrible blow at him, but the little man 
dodged under his arm. For a time he kept on the de- 
fensive, running around the blacksmith, dodging in and 
out, seeming everywhere, yet nowhere, while futile blows 
beat the air. Suddenly he changed his tactics, and took the 



HOW CAN STAMMERING BE CURED? 313 

unwary blacksmith full in the face with a blow which 
caused him to stagger, and ere he had recovered his foot- 
ing, the blacksmith was deftly tripped up, and found him- 
self prone on the ground with his adversary seated on top 
of him. The smithy tried to shake him off, but to his 
surprise was held as in a vise while merciless blows rained 
upon him. 

"Do you see stars, brother?" stammered the parson. 

"Let me up," roared the blacksmith. 

"Promise to let preachers alone henceforth, brother," 
pounding away vigorously. 

"I promise, let me up, I say." 

"Will you come to hear me every time I preach, 
brother?" Having given the required assent, the black- 
smith was allowed to retire from the conflict with the 
preacher's assurance that if he did not come he would 
"see stars" again. 

History adds that the vanquished blacksmith became the 
first convert of the victorious, if stammering, preacher. 



WHAT IS STAMMERING AND HOW CAN IT BE 

CURED? 

Before a cure can be effected for stammering, it is ab- 
solutely necessary that the instructor or teacher should 
thoroughly understand the case, and that his method of 
treatment be practical and founded upon an educational 
basis. 

Eminent scientists have defined stammering as "the in- 
ability under certain conditions, to articulate, or control 
tl-e organs of speech which are usually, under such cir- 
cumstances, tightly held together, accompanied in many 
cases by the substitution of one sound for another," and 
in their method of treatment, the pupil is made to go back 
to the fundamentals or beginning of speech and form 
his voice again, as the baby forms its voice when it first 
begins to speak. 



314 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

In the beginning of a sound the air in the lungs, while 
on its way from the treachea to the pharynx, passes 
through an inverted box-like cavity, at the top of which is 
a little opening called the glottis, the opening between 
the vocal cords. As the air rushes between these cords, 
which are drawn closer together according to the tone, 
a sound is produced; but this of itself would make no 
intelligent speech were it not for the fact that as the 
sound proceeds to the surface, by the action of the 
tongue, lips and other articulatory organs, it is changed 
to articulate speech. But the defect of speech, known 
as stammering, lies deeper than would be supposed. At 
the moment when the impulses sent by the brain 
move to action the air in the respiratory canal, there 
is a lack of coordination between the two actions, 
which is outwardly manifested in a hesitancy, often ac- 
companied by horrible contortions, rolling of the eyes, and 
sometimes speechless intervals. Some stammerers when 
before strangers can, by exercising all their will power, 
speak very well, but while the physical defect has tempor- 
arily ceased, the mental torture is something terrible, and 
after the conversation is over the nerves are all unstrung 
and the breath, strength, and vitality completely exhausted. 
Such a case gives evidence of a genuine type of stam- 
mering. 

Many years ago stammering was attributed to mal- 
formation of the vocal organs, and a surgical operation 
was resorted to as a means of cure, which would tempor- 
arily cause fluent speech; but after the sore had healed 
the stammering would be just as bad, if not worse, than 
before, with one more cross added to the stammerer's 
already heavy burden — a mutilated tongue. 

If stammering was due to any such cause it would be 
manifested in a kind of lisping, not in the horrible con- 
tortions and the way in which a stammerer sometimes 
holds himself with his mouth distended like a funnel and 
the air slowly escaping, while he is unable to utter a 
sound. 



HOW CAN STAMMERING BE CURED? 315 

The defect would also be manifested in whispering or 
singing, while under ordinary circumstances the majority 
of those who stammer can easily perform either of these 
actions without hesitation. 

Although not the cause of stammering, nervousness is 
an aggravating evil which plants its claws more firmly into 
the victim the older he grows and the more sensitive he 
becomes of his defect. When in a nervous state the stam- 
merer has less control of his speech than under ordinary 
circumstances, but, if nervousness was the cause of stam- 
mering, it would first have to be eliminated from the 
system, and then there would be no stammering, whereas 
in the method now used, the stammering is first eradicated, 
and then the nervousness disappears. Many other evils 
have also helped to increase stammering, and add misery 
to many a life. Alcohol and tobacco, stimulants with their 
effects on the nervous system, cause much control of the 
articulatory organs to cease, and, of course, when these 
become uncontrollable, stammering will temporarily be- 
come woise, and if the practice is continued the nerve-end- 
ings are blunted and the malady, if in a slight form, rapidly 
develops into a most severe type of speech disorder. Other 
aggravating evils of stammering are indigestion and loss 
of sleep. In breathing, the air should be forced to the 
very smallest air cells in the lungs, ,for besides aiding 
speech, respiration helps circulation, and unless the blood 
is perfectly purified and free circulation afforded, the body 
becomes diseased and unfit for the work which a stam- 
merer is going to undertake, namely, a cure. If one is 
suffering from indigestion, how can the air be forced deep 
into the lungs? 

Since the age of almost savage life, when our eyes were 
blinded by the frauds thrust at us by inhuman pretenders, 
stammering has been more correctly defined and the 
method of cure applied has in the majority of cases 
proved successful. Owing to the many different kinds 
and causes of stammering, it would be impossible for 
one to lay down rules which would prove entirely satis- 



3l6 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

factory, but every stammerer, who is contemplating any 
home treatment may, after he has fully studied all the 
strange and intricate parts of his defect, form a set of 
rules which would most likely fit his case, and if carried 
out faithfully would more than meet his expectations. 

We should, before entering a stammering institution, 
strengthen our vocal organs, so that when we begin such 
work the task will be easier, the time required shorter, 
and the results much more satisfactory. 

To accomplish this we should follow certain rules, a 
few of which I give following, which if practiced faith- 
fully and carefully will aid us greatly in our efforts to 
gain strength: 

I. — Take deep breathing exercise daily. 

2. — Take gymnastics to develop the whole body. 

3. — Cultivate a cheerful and happy disposition, which 
will quiet the nerves. 

4. — Keep your mental equilibrium under all conditions. 

5. — Hold yourself in equality with all men. 

6. — Always talk slowly and deliberately. 

7. — Never let your temper get the better of you whether 
scoffed at or rebuked. 

Reliable institutions for the cure of stammering have 
not been in progress more than fifteen years, and the 
work of destroying the ideas and method of quacks and 
professors is very hard, but when we think of the rapid 
strides of science in this direction we are surprised. Let 
us all hope that these new methods will become more 
wide-spread and every one be able to say, "I am of a 
free and understanding tongue," not as the leader of the 
children of Israel said, "I am slow of speech." 



PRACTICAL ADVICE 

Having experienced in a slight form the unpleasantness 
which invariably accompanies any impediment of speech, 
I will offer in a crude way the knowledge gained from that 
experience, and will give ideas that I know to be beneficial. 

In the first place, when a child begins to talk, if any dis- 
position for any impediment of speech is shown, great care 
should be exercised in trying to keep its mind from dwell- 
ing on this point, for if it once gets so centered, it will 
develop into a chronic case of self-consciousness, and if 
my observation is correct, it is the cause of the greatest 
part of this difficulty. A person who is proof against 
sensitiveness will seldom, if ever, be afflicted with stam- 
mering, while those who are affected in this way are so 
painfully self-conscious that their sufferings are extremely 
pitiful. When he begins to talk, the stammerer's one 
thought is whether he will get through without causing 
himself any embarrassment, and every word he says or 
tries to say he will become more excited, until at last his 
nerves collapse, he loses control of the muscles of speech, 
and is at a standstill. 

If he would watch other persons speak and see with 
what ease and sense they enunciate their words, and what 
a complete lack of anxiety they show as to whether they 
can speak or not, he would consider himself foolish, to 
know that he suffered such needless anxiety. Woe to 
those who help to infuse such a lack of self-confidence 
into an innocent child, and place him in such a position of 
misery! What a conquest is necessary before they are 
able to fill a place of usefulness in the world by the side 
of their fellowmen ! What an amount of patience they 
exercise in looking forward to a day when they may be 



318 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

able to converse without being an annoyance to others, 
and a source of misery to themselves ! 

There are comparatively few women afflicted with 
stammering, and it is a blessing that such is the case, for, 
however hard it is for a man to make his way in the 
world, it is more difficult for a woman, without being 
tortured by such an ever-present misery as stammering. 
The most essential thing in self-improvement is to cul- 
tivate a spirit of confidence. Think that you are capable 
of doing everything good if you so desire. Be conceited 
about your ability. It will do you no harm, and the 
lack of self-confidence will injure you. Do not let a 
thought which is detrimental to this spirit enter your head, 
and try to overcome all feelings of diffidence and timidity. 

When you feel you have conquered these failings, then 
begin taking vocal exercises, reading aloud, and practice 
also breathing exercises. Accustom yourself to the ways 
of others, try if possible to eliminate any nervous anxiety 
and banish the fancy that you are the amusement of every 
one who talks to you. 

When a stranger or any one speaks to you, place your 
mind on the words spoken, and not on the words you are 
to speak, and you will answer in your own words before 
you know it, and at the same time you will be free from 
that miserable worry and r ear which accompanies such 
an eager effort. Try to be at ease, and watch and see 
how unagitated your neighbor is when speaking. You 
can be the same if you will, but it must be your will to do 
so, else the desire be useless. Do not try to be talkative 
until you have perfect control of yourself, which will 
take a great deal of practice and a reasonable length of 
time. 

Be cautions without being anxious, when you are speak- 
ing, and if you feel you have not entirely assumed control 
of the muscles governing the organs of speech, and 
especially of any particular sound, try to avoid using 
words containing those sounds, and supplement them 
with synonyms. I do not think it advisable for any one 



PRACTICAL ADVICE 319 

to let a child who stutters attend school and be forced 
into giving oral recitations, only to make a ludicrous 
failure to the amusement of his schoolmates. No one 
possessed of ordinary common sense cares to be held in 
small esteem by his associates; while the stammerer's 
friends may pity him in his efforts to be agreeably con- 
versative, they cannot devote more than a limited amount 
of their time to him, and that amount decreases when it 
becomes evident that their company is embarrassing. A 
child in this position is practically without friends when 
he reaches maturity, and the best part of his life is gone. 

To all those who have a poor opinion of the stammerer 
I will say: For the sake of Him who made them so, if 
not for their own sake, be good to them. Place no 
obstacles in their way, and do nothing to embitter their 
feelings, for that is one instance where an insinuating 
word goes forever unforgotten. God knows that he placed 
in the pathways of those who stammer more thorns than 
could be trodden on in time to have the wounds heal 
before death, and any one casting an extra stone, only 
kills the one at whom it is cast. 

Any one conquering this cruel habit and securing a place 
of creditable notoriety in the world, is truly a victor as 
well as a benefactor. 

It is a pity that children suffering from these ailments 
should be left in the care of any but a strictly conscien- 
tious person. Their nerves are so tried by the useless 
coaxing and threatening that they are in a state of con- 
stant misery, and as many years as it takes to lower the 
nervous system into that terrible downward, unhealthy 
channel, as many years will it take to bring it back to a 
normal condition. Stammerers who consider themselves 
a burden to their associates or relatives are naturally 
frequently disheartened, and this feeling of dull despair 
which momentarily overcomes the mind, is a detriment 
to any healthful person, a feeling which should be avoided. 

If all stammerers would refrain from talking at those 
times when they feel the least ability to talk, and exercise 



320 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

no muscles of the vocal organs until they are able to exer- 
cise them properly, they would do themselves a great deal 
of good; it would prevent the undoing that aggravates 
their natural weakness. As a rule, it is at this time that 
they feel most inclined to talk. 

One great fault of many who suffer from defective ut- 
terance is that they are too pessimistic. Everything, no 
matter how bright, is viewed through the mental smoked 
glass, which casts that monotonous shade over everything. 

That melancholy way of viewing the blessings of God 
is intolerable, and even if God has made the person with 
defective vocal power, he has certainly blessed him in 
other ways, in a way perhaps more important in the end 
than the gift of utterance. 

It can be overcome, and muct, if the person who thus 
suffers ever expects to have a reasonable peace of mind. 
The stammerer should have some great purpose in view. 
Be ambitious, aspiring and never be contented. Be strong 
in your determination to govern yourself, and cultivate a 
stout heart. There is no need of suggesting the cultiva- 
tion of a sympathetic feeling, for that is yours by nature, 
and although it is a very God-like, human expression, 
there is a possibility of its over-cultivation. 

Do not consider stammering any disgrace. It has al- 
ready been shown to be no evidence of weak-mindedness, 
and as it is not the result of sin or crime, there is no 
reason for anyone to feel despirited over it. If it is neces- 
sary to do so, ignore the remarks of anyone, even of your 
relatives, and do not let their insinuations affect you in 
the least. No one knows of your difficulty but those who 
have secured the knowledge through experience, and 
there is no danger that they will ever cast insinuating 
remarks with the intention of injuring your feelings. 
Few faults are less sinful than yours. 



SUGGESTIONS FOR THE STAMMERER'S 
BENEFIT 

The gift of speech is man's supreme distinction. Noth- 
ing in culture can exceed the importance of speaking 
well. Its use in the common everyday intercourse of life 
makes up a large part of the intellectual activity of the 
race. The ability to converse intellectually and elegantly 
is one of the greatest accomplishments. 

Alas ! Many are unfortunate in coming into the world 
with weak or defective constitutions; others through ac- 
cident or disease have had the powers of their bodies im- 
paired. To this class, the mimic excepted, the stammerer 
belongs. It was formerly conceived that stammering or 
any other malady was caused by the evil spirits, which 
were supposed to have entered the body and deranged its 
actions. Hence it was said of the dumb, that they had a 
"dumb devil." Incantations, exorcisms, etc., were resorted 
to in order to drive them out. It was thought by others 
that the disease came arbitrarily, i. e., by will only, or as 
a special visitation of an overruling power, and was to 
be removed by fasting and prayer. Science teaches us 
that disease is not a thing, but a state or condition. When 
the organs work in perfect harmony the body is well; but 
when any derangement of the functions occur something 
must be done to bring that part to its normal condition, 
or the body will suffer. 

Stammering is due to an abnormal condition of the 
faculty that controls the vocal apparatus, and not to any 
organic defect. It will not be necessary, therefore, to 
dwell long upon the structure of the sound-producing or- 
gans, for they are perfect from the fact that they are 
capable of vocalizing any sound. This signifies that stam- 
mering is a functional defect. Vocalization is produced 
by bringing the stretched edges of the vocal cords close 

21 



322 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

together and parallel to each other, leaving a very narrow 
slit between them, and while in this position, forcing a 
current of air past them. The difference in sound is 
made possible by the arrangement of air cavities about 
the vibrating parts. The sounds represented by the 
alphabet may be separated into the following classes: 
those that depend fundamentally on the vibrations of the 
vocal cords; and those in which the vocal cords take 
no part, but depend upon the rushing of the air along 
the upper air passages. The first class includes the vowels 
and sub-vowels; the second, the remainder of the sounds 
of the alphabet. It is obvious that in producing a vowel 
sound, the air escapes unhindered through the mouth. In 
making the sub-vowels, the mouth passages are more or 
less obstructed, the escape of air being more or less 
through the nose. It would be profitable for the stam- 
merer to stand before a mirror and study the movements 
of the parts engaged in making each sound represented 
by the different letters and combinations of letters. 

One can improve the tones he uses by taking care to 
hold his body in the proper position for their production. 
What that position is, he can easily find by experimenting 
on himself. Seek to make the tones always smooth and 
musical, never losing sight of the fact that what is 
wanted in the every-day use of the voice is a pleasant and 
natural intonation. 

All improvement in the tongue of the speaker is like 
improvement in the hand of the artisan, or the eye of the 
painter — the gift of habit. Practice makes habit and 
"habit becomes destiny." The Almighty gives us the 
power to form habits that we may crystalize victories. 
The stammerer's first aim in life should be the eradication 
of his affliction, and having the power of habit by prac- 
tice in mind, he should seek to acquire that free, easy, 
graceful speaking ability. He should try to attain the 
soul of refined manners, namely, good-will towards others 
and a desire to secure their comfort and happiness. 

The grouping of stammerers into various types is very 



SUGGESTIONS FOR THE STAMMERER S BENEFIT 323 

near impossible, for every stammerer seems to have an 
original method of manipulating his vocal organs and 
features. 

Stammering is an affliction that most people do not 
fully understand, and it is for this reason that the stam- 
merer has to hear the brunt of his misfortune, disappoint- 
ments, and embarrassments. It has crushed out the am- 
bition of many people, where ambition finally yielded to 
fate. This creates a feeling of despondency in some, there- 
by holding their attention the more to their unhappy 
state, consequeently aggravating their impediment. On 
the other hand, there are historical examples where speech 
impediment had decidedly the opposite effect upon the 
afflicted; for it is as natural for some people to fight 
against their fate, as it is for others to submit to it. 

I believe there is hope for all who really try to better 
their condition and go at it in a systematic way, for system 
is of vital necessity. There are some who seem to be 
inert and not alive to their condition, and who do not make 
the effort that they should. The stammerer should not be 
content to be a mere "dummy in the band-wagon." Indi- 
vidual success comes only through patient investigation of 
principles and a careful attention to detail in planning and 
executing. No progress can be made except at the ex- 
pense of time and labor spent in practice, letting not 
home surroundings and employment interfere with the 
task. One must apply himself industriously, punctually 
and persistently at it. 

The practice of deep-breathing every day is a thera- 
peutic measure. A straight spine, unusual long power and 
improved capacity for mental and physical labor ought to 
be incentive as a reward for this practice. The practice 
of loud and sustained tones is a splendid means of improv- 
ing the voice, but it is to be the exception, not the rule 
in ordinary practice; yet the softer tones must be elastic 
and full of life; not dull and leaden. 

The first step in the cure of any malady, is to obey the 
law of health that has been violated. Whatever the rem- 



324 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

edy might be, it is not to destroy the disorder since that 
is not a thing to be destroyed, but it is to hold the 
deranged action in check, while nature repairs the injury 
and brings the system again into harmonious movements. 
In the first place, one should fill himself with confidence 
in his undertaking. Formulate a few fixed rules and 
strictly abide by them. Practice articulate reading, utter- 
ing each syllable with a very slow, measured tone. Much 
benefit is derived from reading a few lines each day to some 
member of the family and noting the improvement from 
day to day. It will be of further aid to keep the attention 
upon the manner of delivery. Avoid coffee, tobacco, 
strong stimulants and exciting reading. Enough cannot 
be said against the practice of habits that tend to produce 
spasmodic muscular action, by affecting the heart, brain 
and nerves. It is absolutely necessary that such practice 
be dispensed with. Do not become angry over trifles and 
do not manifest impatience at any time or speak excitedly. 
Do not isolate yourself in company by sitting back in a 
corner, waiting for some one to come and talk to you. 

Wear a pleasant face; it speaks much in company. You 
will gain courage and improve in cheerfulness. Cultivate 
as much as possible, flashes of silence, when embarrassing 
positions present themselves. It is the larger half of con- 
versation to listen well, and a closed mouth looks decidedly 
better than a distorted face. 

Whenever opportunity offers, go to the woods, or some 
unfrequented fresh air place. Here secluded, there is no 
need to fear intruders, but the birds, and what better 
auditors would you want? Recite some stirring passage 
that is familiar to you. Do not be afraid to hollow to your 
full satisfaction, for it will do you good. It will fill you 
with good, wholesome, fresh air, that is so plentiful, so 
stimulating and so essential to life. That suppressed feel- 
ing, a longing to be somebody, a desire to say something, 
has been within; now is the time to sing it out. Begin 
some extemporaneous talk upon some familiar topic. No 
matter if it does sound ludicrous, keep on and speak slow- 



SUGGESTIONS FOR THE STAMMERERS BENEFIT 325 

ly. Let the whistling of the wind, the mocking light 
laughter of the leaves and the soughing of the boughs 
serve to make your harangue the more earnest. Imagine 
the lofty trunks, grand patriarchs who are expecting words 
of wisdom, and that it depends upon you to have their 
expectations realized. 

Stammering is often due to a method of wrong breath- 
ing. To effect a cure in such a case, the patient must 
learn to breathe correctly and continue to practice. As 
the respiratory muscles are under the complete control 
of the mind, one can improve his manner of breath- 
ing as readily as he can alter the manner of manag- 
ing his hands or his gait. Remember to inflate the respira- 
tory muscles on inhaling and speak on exhaling breath. 
The free and easy expansion of the chest is obviously in- 
dispensible to the full play and dilation of the lungs. 
Whatever impedes it either in dress or in position, is 
prejudical to health; and on the other hand, whatever 
favors the free expansion of the chest, equally promotes 
the healthy fulfilment of the respiratory functions. Tight 
stays, corsets and waist bands operate most injuriously 
by compressing the thoracic cavity and impeding the due 
dilation of the lungs. 

Stammerers are generally victims of fear, or self-con- 
sciousness, when in the presence of their superiors. When 
the fear strikes — take a deep breath, then, without exhal- 
ing, contract the chest and dilate the abdominal muscles. 
This invigorates the circulation of the blood through in- 
creased heart action, and thereby stimulates the seat of 
fear, and, lo, — the fear is past. 

By careful and systematic economy of the time, nearly 
everyone can devote an hour or more each day to the 
improvement of his speech. In the course of a short time, 
I believe, real and substantial progress could be made. A 
gain in speaking ability and self-confidence follows an 
ebbing of fear or self-consciousness. However, the main 
trouble lies in the fact that the mind is not capable of 
controlling the vocal organs properly. In other words, 



3^6 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

the stammerer must learn to speak mechanically, and by- 
getting into the habit of speaking so, it becomes natural. 
The cure is then permanent. For this reason I believe 
the most economical and practical method of cure is to 
attend a reputable institution where the stammerer re- 
ceives proper care. Here, finally, success has been in- 
centive for greater efforts in the interest of the stammerer. 
Here he is launched into the society, of many so afflicted, 
who are seeking the same treasure. The potency of free 
speech is indeed a treasure. Man knows not what God's 
gifts are till they are taken from him. Yet how trivial 
ought we to consider our affliction when science has pro- 
duced a remedy that will oust it; a blessing that has been 
operated and utilized only of recent years; a remedy 
that is within reach of all; for industry and economy 
remove the barrier of penury. How different our lot is 
when compared with those of former times, who had not 
the succor that avaits us; but had to submit to the 
cruelty and uncertainty of surgery. The essentials on the 
part of the pupil in an institution is obedience and faith 
in the instructor, together with a liberal amount of am- 
bition to help himself. Lack of discipline accounts for 
want of order and system, which causes the failures 
made in the attempts to cure oneself. It is not always 
pleasant to insist upon strict adherence to rules, but when 
the success and permanency of a cure vitally depend upon 
their observance, no concessions should be permissible by 
the instructor. 

The stammerer should be more particular about his 
health than the ordinary person. Improper ventilation, 
injudicious exposure to climatic influences, when un- 
seasonably clad, lack of judgment as to how, when and 
what to eat have been the causes of greater mortality than 
all the battles ever fought. It is imperative primarily, that 
the air we breathe should be devoid of all obnoxious sub- 
stances. No deleterious gases should be permitted to gen- 
erate and vitiate the atmosphere of the living and sleeping 
apartments. One should govern his diet upon the nature 



SUGGESTIONS FOR THE STAMMERER S BENEFIT 327 

of his avocation; those engaged in sedentary work do not 
require and have not the ability to assimulate the same 
quantity of solid food as the manual laborer; yet many 
people make this very mistake, and as a consequence are 
troubled with dyspepsia, and its many attendant evils. 
Eat moderately of simple, properly cooked food. Take 
plenty of exercise. A half hour's walk before breakfast 
not only helps to arouse the appetite, but gives one the 
opportunity to drink in the cool, bracing morning air. 
Eight hours' sleep is quite sufficient; an excess generally 
has a tendency to dull the faculties. Cultivate an even 
temperament ; do not be too greatly depressed by adversity 
nor unduly elated by prosperity. A contented mind is 
the surest evidence of genuine happiness. 

Reader, brace up ! Look people in the face ; hold their 
eye; if you stammer, stop; be deliberate and try again. 
Think yourself as good, if not better than anybody else. 
This will remove the barrier of inferiority that one feels 
when in the presence of some people. 

To the stammerer, this impediment means an oppor- 
tunity. Can he do better than ask, each one of himself: 
what use can I make of it? Can I be the means of shut- 
ting out the misery from somebody's life? Can I put him 
on the right track? The publisher of this book has 
utilized his opportunity by serving the stammerer. The 
bright future of many depended upon the way he shaped 
his future. In the light of what has been accomplished 
by the blending of theory and practice, and of the promise 
that comes from the state of unrest in which science now 
exists, it seems a fitting final word to say that the success 
of the method of cure now employed is indeed a ray of 
hope to the stammerer. 



STAMMERING AND STUTTERING— CAUSE AND 

CURE 

Those who possess perfect freedom of utterance cannot 
conceive the mental torture and terrible misery the stam- 
mrer has to endure. Let it be hoped that it is due to this 
fact that the stammerer is subjected to such constant ridi- 
cule. The public does not laugh at the blind, the dumb, 
nor the lame; then why laugh at the stammerer who, in 
many cases, suffers much more misery than any of the 
other afflicted? If the public would stop and consider 
the stammerer's position in life, see how he yearns for 
sympathy, how, in many cases, he would like to talk about 
his affliction, and describe his feelings and desires ! If 
he could only feel sure that he would not be laughed at, 
how much easier it would be for him to express his 
thoughts. But, instead of receiving that consideration 
which he so much desires, he receives public ridicule, 
and is compelled to stand aside, and see others, often in- 
ferior in intellect, rise above him. He is ostracized from 
the social world. In the business world he is told that if 
he were able to talk he might be of some service. Thus 
he wanders about, unable to help himself, and, with the 
exception of a few who have a personal interest in him, 
is friendless. 

While stammering is a mental disease, yet it in no way 
impairs the intellect, for it appears that people who stam- 
mer are, as a rule, as intellectual as those not subject to 
this impediment. 

The most of us are only partially acquainted with the 
cause of stammering. To thoroughly understand the sub- 
ject requires a study of the organs used in the production 
of speech. 



STAMMERING AND STUTTERING — CAUSE AND CURE 329 

Speech is the power of modifying vocal sound by break- 
ing it up into distinct elements, and molding it, as it may 
be said, into different forms. There are four elements to 
be considered, viz. : First, the air blast. This brings into 
action the lungs and diaphragm. Second, the vibration 
of the vocal cords. This is the function of the vocal 
cords which are found in the larynx. Third, the reson- 
ance of the chest and the cavities above the larynx. This 
brings into play the pharynx and nasal cavities. Fourth, 
the articulation or modification of the sound emitted from 
the larynx, producing intelligible speech. This is the 
result of the action of the lips, the tongue, and the teeth. 

Sound cannot be produced without air, nor can air be 
obtained for speech without respiration, which latter is 
due to expansion and contraction of the chest, and the 
movement of the diaphragm. The chest has a natural 
tendency to collapse, while its expansion during inspira- 
tion is due to muscular action; but the diaphragm is 
governed more directly by the will. The stutterer never 
gives this muscle sufficient exercise. Instead of taking 
long, deep breaths, causing the diaphragm to rise and fall, 
he takes a short breath, causing the diaphragm to stand 
almost still. It is due to this cause that the stutterer is 
often found gasping for air. It should be impressed on 
the mind of the stutterer that a long, deep breath is 
essential, not only to fluent speech, but also to perfect 
health. , 

Within the larynx, and stretched across it from the 
thyroid cartilage in front to the arytenoid cartilages be- 
hind, are placed the true vocal cords. They are composed 
of highly elastic, though strong, tissue, and are covered 
with a thin, tight-fitting layer of membrane. Their edges 
are smooth and sharply defined, and when they meet, as 
they do in the formation of sound, they exactly match 
each other. The space between these cords is constantly 
varying, not only when their vocal function is exercised, 
but also during the act of respiration. Every time the 
lungs are inflated the space increases, to make wide the 



330 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

entrance for the air, and closes slightly on exhalation. 
True vocal tones are formed by forcible exhalation. This 
is done by an effort of the will, which brings the cords 
close together, under which circumstance they become 
very tense, the space between them at times being reduced 
to about the one-hundredth part of an inch. The air 
from the lungs forced through the trachea and larynx, 
passing over these cords, causes them to vibrate, producing 
sound. 

Upon the chest and diaphragm depends the force of the 
exhalation, and after the air has passed over the vocal 
cords and changed into sound, it is reinforced while pass- 
ing through the pharynx, and additionally through the 
nasal cavities. Here it receives its finishing touches, as it 
were, and is emitted from the mouth as clear, distinct 
voice. 

The articulation or modification of the sound emitted 
from the larynx produces intelligible speech. Of all the 
elements considered, this seems to bring out the stam- 
merer's trouble stronger than any of the other three. 

Articulate sound is of two kinds, namely: continuous 
and interruptive. The former embodies the vowels, of 
which there are five fundamental varieties universally 
present in speech. Upon the proper production of these 
vowels depends the distinctness of articulation. 

The consonants are the interruptive elements, most of 
which cannot be sounded apart from the vowels. They 
are produced by momentary stoppage of the sound current, 
by means of the palate, the tongue, the teeth, and the 
lips. 

It is when attempting to form words, the letters and 
syllables of which are commenced by the closing of the 
lips, that labial stammering appears. This is due to the 
lips either remaining closed longer than is necessary to 
form the word, or to the opening or closing of the 
lips rapidly, producing the same sound over and over 
again. Lingual stammering is noticed when an attempt is 
made to pronounce words beginning with letters and syl- 



STAMMERING AND STUTTERING CAUSE AND CURE 33 1 

lables formed by the tongue pressing against the roots of 
the teeth, as d, I, s and t. The spasmodic action of the 
tongue prevents the voice from escaping, causing the 
sounds to be repeated rapidly. 

The inability to enunciate words, the letters and syl- 
lables of which are formed by contact between the back 
of the tongue and the soft palate, is known as gutteral 
stammering. Vowel stammering, which is another type 
of the difficulty, is caused by the closing of the glottis 
(the opening between the vocal cords) which prevents 
vocalization. 

The stammerer often sees just where his difficulty lies, 
and asks himself the question again and again : "How can 
I help myself?" 

The fact that the stammerer often articulates properly 
is evidence that stammering is curable. There are cases 
where the stammerer has even cured himself. While this 
can not always be done, yet there are exercises that, if 
patiently pursued, will benefit the one who is thus afflicted. 

Take a deep inhalation, and on exhalation sound the 
vowel a as low and as loud as possible. This will separate 
the vocal cords, and at the same time will tend to bring 
the muscles of the respiratory system under control of the 
will. Continue such practice, gradually raising the tone. 
Care should be taken to produce a clear, round and full 
tone before an elevation of tone is made. This will 
greatly improve vocalization. 

One of the most important features which lead to the 
cure of stammering is perfect health. This the stammerer 
seldom possesses. Physical exercise, especially in open 
air, should be taken, careful attention being paid to the 
muscles of the chest and abdomen. This not only 
strengthens the body, but clears the brain, and brightens 
the intellect. Rest is wonderfully helpful, for while we 
sleep the faculties which have been working all the time 
while awake, have an opportunity to recuperate. Sleep 
should be taken regularly and sufficiently. Cheerfulness 
should be cultivated and preserved. A cheerful condition 



33 2 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

of the mind serves to quiet the nerves; melancholy- 
thoughts irritate and disturb the nervous system. The 
stammerer should constantly keep in mind the fact that 
he is equal to or even superior to those about him. From 
the cultivation of a feeling of superiority he will grad- 
ually establish for himself a plane or feeling of equality; 
his difficulties will consequently become lessened, and bet- 
ter talking will surely result. 



STAMMERING— A WANT OF HARMONIOUS 

ACTION 

Never before in the history of the world was there a 
grander period in which to live than the present. Goocl 
books, institutions of learning, and inspiring influences 
were never before so abundant as to-day. Civilization the 
last few decades has made marked and rapid strides on 
the upward road to perfection. In the realm of knowl- 
edge we see an expanding of intellect and a ripening of 
thought. Science and the arts never offered so much 
to their devotees as now. The learning of the present 
is an aggregate of the learning of the past, handed down 
by literature and speech; man's best and most direct form 
of communication — speech, that power which distinguishes 
man from the other creatures of God's hand and enables 
him to give expression to the most beautiful sentiments 
and majestic conceptions; speech, the meeting of the 
mental and the physical. 

Let us consider for a few moments the physiological 
mechanism of this medium of communication, vocal 
speech. A current of air, as it passes from the lungs to 
the mouth, is acted upon by muscular movements at the 
larynx; speech is thus formed. The two terms, speech 
and voice, are often regarded as synonymous, but speech 
may exist without voice and vice versa. Voice is the 
effect produced by the vocal membranes on either side 



STAMMERING, A WANT OF HARMONIOUS ACTION 333 

of the glottis, being set into vibration in the same manner 
as the tongues of an accordian are caused to vibrate. Thus 
voice may be produced by animals possessing the larynx 
and vocal cords. In the animal kingdom we find man 
alone endowed with speech. Speech, which requires a 
delicate adjustment and coordination of the organs and 
muscles brought into play in its production, is voice modu- 
lated by the lips, tongue, teeth, and palate. Respiration, 
which plays an important part in the production of speech, 
consists of two acts : inspiration, taking the air into 
our lungs; and expiration, expelling the air from our 
lungs. As vocal vibration, which is the producer of 
vocal speech, can be affected only by the process of 
expiration and not by inspiration, we see the absolute 
necessity of deep or abdominal breathing, and regularity 
of the respiration, so as to give the lungs a volume of 
air from which to replenish that making its escape. 
Speech comes gradually to the young child first learning 
to pronounce the vowel a, the consonants b, m, p, and then 
their unions, as ba, ma, pa ; thus the method of modulating 
voice into speech is unconsciously learned, the power of 
expression keeping pace with the expanding intellect. To 
produce high tones the vocal cords are quickly shortened ; 
to produce low ones they are lengthened, for a prolonged 
sound they are opened, and for a quick ending one they 
are quickly closed. 

We now approach the question: what is stammering 
and what are its causes? Observe the stammerer, and a 
spasmodic movement of the organs and contortions of the 
features are apparent. The stammerer does not have 
the ability to produce certain sounds, but a sound foreign 
to the one intended is emitted, and possibly there is a 
complete cessation of articulation. Let us turn our atten- 
tion for a few moments to the closely related speech 
impediment, stuttering; in fact, the two terms stammering 
and stuttering are considered synonyms by the majority. 
In stuttering we have a continuous reiteration of one 
sound before the next can be utttered, the organs meet- 



334 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

ing and rebounding rapidly. This defect relates to the 
physical condition, while stammering is more of a mental 
disorder — the mind not acting in harmony with the gen- 
erative organs of speech. The principal cause of stutter- 
ing is defective respiration, thus this imperfection more 
easily succumbs to treatment, but if not cured at an early 
age it generally develops into its kindred affliction, stam- 
mering, especially if the person is of a sensitive tempera- 
ment, and we have a combined physical and mental diffi- 
culty. Stuttering, although not as seated a disease as 
stammering, more often in its outward effects appears 
to be the worst defect, probably on account of the con- 
tortions, of the features of one thus afflicted being more 
severe, but the torture of the mind caused by the impedi- 
ment in cases of stammering is far worse than in cases 
of stuttering. 

"Step by step it leads its victim 

To the verge of dread despair; 
Hurls him o'er the brink of ruin. 
Laughs and leaves him there." 

I, in my earlier days, questioned the value of the life 
of one thus afflicted; but away with such thoughts, we are 
of some importance, we must be men and women, we must 
overcome the obstacles in our path — duty to our God, 
ourselves, our friends, demands it ! Do not drift on and 
on, aimlessly and without motive. Assert yourself ! The 
underlying cause of stammering has been mentioned; a 
lack of coordinating influence or motive power, that power 
which controls nerves and muscles, that power which 
governs all of the functions that enter into the articula- 
tion of speech, perception, intellect, emotion and will. 

But there are other factors that tend to impair perfect 
speech control, to which we should direct some attention. 
Nervousness is the aggravating source of much difficulty 
The question has been asked, "To what extent is nervous- 
ness accountable for stammering?" 

Nervousness is evidently an aggravation of stammering, 
and all diseases which cause instability of the nervous 



STAMMERING — A WANT OF HARMONIOUS ACTION 335 

system tend to the formation of that impediment ; stammer- 
ing, however, is more often the source of nervousness. If 
nervousness were at the root of the evil we would have 
a larger percentage of female stammerers than males, 
whereas the male stammerers far outnumber the female. 

Often results of great magnitude are found to connect 
themselves with elements of human nature that appear 
in themselves as insignificant. Thus the principle of imi- 
tation has a vast influence. It is by imitation that the 
child learns to utter articulate sounds. The child that is 
surrounded by those who use incorrect pronunciation will 
speak with incorrect pronunciation, those associated with 
stammerers will unconsciously have a tendency to stam- 
mer in proportion as they are more or less sensitively 
organized. We should make the principle of imitation 
work to our advantage, emulating those who speak dis- 
tinctly and correctly. 

On account of the want of harmonious action of the 
speech functions, the impediment is most noticeable when 
a transition from one class of sounds to another is at- 
tempted. The sounds most liable to mispronunciation are 
the explosive consonants b, d, p, t, and k, while to some 
the continuous consonants v, f, s, z, m, w, y, and th, are 
difficult. 

Stammering has many phases, each one afflicted possess- 
ing a type of impediment according to his own peculiar 
individuality and temperament. In the chronic stam- 
merer we have the worst type, as his malady has been 
transmitted through several generations and has thus 
obtained a powerful hold on his entire mental and 
physical organism, which renders it difficult for treat- 
ment. The silent and the boisterous stammerer presents a 
remarkable contrast. The silent stammerer stands im- 
movable, unable to make a sound, while in the boisterous 
stammerer there are spasms and contortions of the entire 
body. In defective constitutional conditions, lowering of 
the vitality following disease, shock of the nervous system, 



33^ HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

fright, ill treatment, etc., we have causes that should 
not be disregarded. 

The life of the stammerer is a sad one; he is handicap- 
ped in whatever vocation he pursues. Where other afflic- 
tions call forth sympathy, his results in ridicule. He 
is prevented from enjoying social life, and business pur- 
suits demand men and women who have command of 
their speech. He is separated from the world and left to 
his own solitude, his vitality dissipated and his ambition 
destroyed. 



THE TRIALS OF A STAMMERER 

None except one who is or has been afflicted with 
stammering can realize the position in which the stammerer 
is placed and the burden he has to bear. He usually re- 
ceives little or no aid; his friends think that stam- 
mering is only a habit, and, like other habits, can be 
broken. Then, again, the stammerer does not need or 
want sympathy. Often words which are meant to be 
sympathetic and comforting only tend to make matters 
worse by giving the person to whom they are addressed 
a deeper realization of his terrible disease. 

He who has enjoyed perfect freedom of speech during 
all his life is in no way prepared to offer advice or aid 
to the stammerer; these suggestions, however, from one 
who has stammered, are practical. In no manner or on no 
occasion ridicule the stammerer, because ridicule tends to 
discourage one in attempting further to overcome his 
defect; whenever possible appear utterly unconscious that 
he has an impediment in speech, because this affords less 
embarrassment to the speaker, and perhaps may even help 
him to talk more easily. 

I know of one stammerer who can speak in public 
usually without hesitation, especially if she commits to 
memory what she intends to say. On one occasion she 



THE TRIALS OF A STAMMERER 337 

read an essay in school in the presence of her teachers 
and fellow-students, and the rendering of her part showed 
no trace of her impediment. Before the reading began, 
one student privately made the remark that she did not 
care to hear the speaker, because she would surely stam- 
mer. Her prophecy did not prove true, but, nevertheless, 
if the speaker had chanced to have heard it, she probably 
would have become very much embarrassed and confused 
and would not have done as well. Oh, that people 
would only remember that such remarks can do no good 
and that they may do harm, and add still more to the 
stammerer's already heavy burden ! No doubt many such 
statements are due to carelessness and thoughtlessness, 
but how much more pleasant the world would be if we all 
were a little more careful and thoughtful in regard to 
the feelings and rights of others. 

As a rule, stammerers experience the most difficulty 
when laboring under intense excitement or agitation. They 
have much to say and their thoughts come faster than 
they can express them. A wise doctor once said to me, 
"You stammer because you think too fast." 

It was my experience when I stammered that when 
speaking to a stranger I could so conceal my impediment 
that the listener would be utterly unaware of the fact that 
he was being addressed by a stammerer. In fact, I have 
heard indirectly of slight acquaintances and even of my 
own school teachers who did not notice my defect in 
speech until told of it. 

Then again, in conversing with any one I found that 
I could speak more easily when at a short distance from 
the listener than when close to him (by close, I mean not 
more than two or three feet away.) 

If the person to whom I happened to be speaking did 
not hear or understand what I said, and I was asked to 
repeat my statement, it was then usually harder for me 
to speak than at first. 

When I stammered there were only certain letters of 

22 



33^ HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

the alphabet which troubled me in talking; with the others 
I had no difficulty. For instance, the letters hardest to 
pronounce were s, as in seat. Another was I, when fol- 
lowed by short i or e, as in lily and letter. 

Often I came across words which contained syllables 
that were likely to cause me difficulty in pronouncing. 
For instance, in the word persimmon, I would probably 
hesitate on the second syllable, sim. In trying to make the 
word as easy as possible, I changed the syllables. In- 
stead of leaving the first as it is, per, I put the $ of the 
second in with the first, making it pers, and the second 
syllable simply im. This is not a correct way of pro- 
nouncing a word, but nevertheless it sometimes saved me 
some difficulty. Of course, in doing this the division of 
the syllables must not be too marked. In most cases, 
however, the changes were scarcely noticeable. 

If in a sentence there occurred two words which I 
could not readily pronounce, it often happened that in 
trying to speak one properly I forgot the other and con- 
sequently had no trouble in pronouncing it. 

One way in which some avoid stammering is by the 
use of synonyms. In the English language there are 
synonyms for almost every word, and some stammerers are 
adepts in discovering and using these synonyms. But this 
method, of course, does not tend to strengthen the will or 
mind as much as if it were not practiced. The stammerer, 
in order to overcome his defect, must have a strong will 
and in this respect the use of synonyms will be more of a 
hindrance than a help. 

In translating foreign languages into English I found 
that I had almost no trouble in giving the translation. I 
attribute this to the fact that one of the principal things 
in translating is to get good sense, and in my desire to 
obtain this, I forgot to a degree that I had any difficulty 
in speaking. 

I could also read Latin without hesitation or sign of 
stammering. I am of the opinion that this is because in 
reading Latin one has to be very careful in regard to the 



THE TRIALS OF A STAMMERER 339 

Then again, in reading aloud, especially if the passage 
is difficult, one has to be careful to get the thought and 
quantity and accent of words, and in trying to get the 
proper pronunciation he is oblivious to everything else. 
read it as the author expected it to be read. In doing this 
one becomes so absorbed that he has no time to think of 
certain words as being difficult to pronounce, at least 
not until they are spoken, when he is surprised that he 
could have read them so well. 

Thus one of my theories concerning stammering is that 
if the mind of the stammerer is taken away from himself, 
from his defect, and kept away, his attention being drawn 
to some more congenial subject, he will, under these con- 
ditions, be able to speak without any hesitation. 

Another belief also is that the stammerer lacks con- 
fidence in himself, or in his ability. He has not faith 
in his own power. I think one proof of this is shown 
in the fact that when obliged to read a certain sentence 
if he is conscious of the eyes and ears of others, he 
stumbles over the words, rendering the sentence but poorly. 
But on the other hand, if the same sentence is to be read 
by a number of people at the same time, the stammerer 
can read it in consert perfectly as well as any one. 

When I used to stammer I experienced more difficulty 
when engaged in conversation than when reading. I be- 
lieve, however, that if I could have imagined myself when- 
ever I uttered a word to have been speaking together with 
others, the result would have different. 

Stammering, as a rule, does not bar a person from sing- 
ing. I have never seen or heard of any one whose ability 
to sing was hindered by stammering. Singing is one ac- 
complishment in which the average stammerer, as well as 
any one else, can take pleasure, and we who have stam- 
mered have reason to be thankful for this. 

One thing which usually falls to the lot of the stam- 
merer is social ostracism. In society it is generally the 
rule that the brilliant and entertaining speakers are the 
ones who are most sought for. Of course, among these 



340 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

the stammerer is not included. He may possess unusual 
intelligence, wit, or humor, but as he cannot express his 
thought, society votes him dull and uninteresting. The 
stammerer himself realizes this more than any one else. 
He takes no pleasure in being where he cannot enjoy 
himself, and accordingly drops out of the social world 
from which he is not missed, and his place is soon filled 
by some one more congenial. 

The stammerer may be compared in some respects to 
a slave. Stammering holds the mastery over him and he 
can rarely, if ever, unaided, break away and gain his free- 
dom. Slaves are not allowed equal rights with others, and 
are looked down upon. Just so the stammerer is shunned 
by his more fortunate brothers; in reality he does not 
enjoy equal rights with all men. 



MAKING THE BEST OF OPPORTUNITIES 

The model institution for stammerers may be likened to 
a kindergarten where we learn the first principles of talk- 
ing; separating words into their component parts, going 
back to the very formation of speech. Learning to creep 
before we walk; and we should learn to creep well. Plat- 
form practice, one of the important features of the school, 
is something with which every pupil should become famil- 
iar. One cannot get too much of this excellent drill, the 
purpose of which is giving the pupil the practice of 
thinking on his feet, and acquiring an ease of manner 
before the public, the mastery of which cannot fail to 
impart a greater feeling of confidence, and which is half 
the battle. Be sure you have mastered everything as 
near as lies in your power to do so, then go out and fight 
valiantly, using the modified method and carefully observ- 
ing the rules of relaxation, both mentally and physically. 

Be master of the situation. Look the person to whom 
you are talking squarely in the face. He will have more 
confidence in what you say. Cultivate a feeling of 



THE TRIALS OF A STAMMERER 34I 

equality; be brave and manly, fear nobody but God. Hold 
your head erect and look up. Always speak from a closed 
to an open position. This will oblige you to breathe 
through your nose, which is the proper manner of breath- 
ing, which purifies the air and induces a feeling of calm- 
ness. Be deliberate and talk slowly ; you will speed up fast 
enough, later. Do not for a single moment relax your 
vigilance. Give every word its full rounded tone and 
correct articulation. Cultivate a smooth, even gliding 
manner of talking, blending one word into the other. 
Always have a good supply of air in the lungs and care- 
fully avoid talking on exhausted breath. There is plenty 
of air all about you and it costs you nothing. No matter 
how fast the other fellow talks, just keep your poise and 
will-power. Cultivate at all times and under all circum- 
stances a feeling of repose. As far as possible, avoid 
losing your temper. Be particular in following all in- 
structions until the new and correct manner of talking 
shall have become permanently established. We have a 
habit of years to overcome. Our very natures almost 
must, by dogged and persistent cultivation, be changed. 
Do not become discouraged if in an unguarded moment 
you fall, but go at the word or difficulty in an intelligent 
manner and see why you failed. Analyze your own 
peculiar difficulty. A smooth sea has never yet made a 
skillful sailor. Practice faithfully at all exercises and 
persevere, for, after all, is it not worth the price? Cul- 
tivate pure thoughts, retire promptly at ten o'clock. Re- 
member your nerves are delicately poised and cannot be 
abused without your paying the penalty. Therefore, do 
nothing to unduly excite or injure them. Take daily 
some good form of physical exercise that will bring into 
play all of the muscles, thereby resting and quieting the 
nerves. 

The author finds that nothing so successfully ac- 
complishes this end as good, healthy exercise, to bring, 
as nearly as possible, every set- of muscles into play. 
Do not exercise just after a full meal. Avoid late sup- 



342 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

pers, as the stomach cannot be abused without effect- 
ing the nerves, and, more important to some degree, 
the talking. In talking to your friends or relatives be 
just as careful as possible. You cannot afford to take any 
chance of losing confidence, which, if once lost, is with 
great difficulty regained. Mingle with people, get out more, 
and be one of the community in which you live. Let people 
see that you are somebody ; assert yourself, cultivate more 
positiveness of manner, have a mind of your own. Do 
not be swayed by every wind that blows, nor every tide 
that flows. Do not take for granted everything told 
you. Come out of your old shell and be a man among 
men. Above all, be a manly man. Stammerers are by 
no means such fools as some people may give them credit 
for, and they should speedily be taught the fallacy of 
such an erroneous belief. We should learn that one 
great factor in our complete cure is the exercise of will- 
power. The first thing each morning : make it your deter- 
mined resolve that this day shall be a better day for your 
talking than the day preceding. Then bend every energy 
to make it so. You will need this exercise of will-power 
many times. You will need it every day. Just along this 
line we might, perhaps, appropriately quote a few lines 
from a well known writer: "There is no chance, no 
destiny; no fate can circumvent, or hinder, or control, the 
firm resolve of a determined soul. Gifts count for little; 
will alone is great. All things give way before it, soon 
or late. What obstacles can stay the mighty force of 
the sea-seeking river in its course, or cause the ascending 
orb of day to wait? Each well-born soul must win what 
it deserves. Let the fool prate of luck! The fortunate 
is he whose earnest purpose never swerves, whose slightest 
action or inaction serves the one great aim. Why, even 
Death stands still and waits an hour, sometimes, for such 
a will." 

Master of human destinies am I ! 

Fame, love and fortune on my footsteps wait. 

Cities and fields I walk; I penetrate 



HOW TO CURE STAMMERING 343 

Deserts and seas remote and passing by- 
Hovel and mart and palace, soon or late 
I knock unbidden at every gate ! 
If sleeping, wake, — if feasting, rise before 
I turn away. It is the hour of fate, 
And they who follow me reach every state 
Mortal's desire, and conquer every foe 
Save death; but those who doubt or hesitate, 
Condemned to failure, penury and woe, 
Seek me in vain and uselessly implore; 
I answer not, and I return no more. 

— John J. Ingalls. 



HOW TO CURE STAMMERING 

Stammerer ! As I write it, the mere sight of the word 
has a distinctly depressing effect upon me. Can it be 
that we are outcasts from His love ? No ! my brother 
sufferer. God in His goodness has furnished us with all 
the organs necessary to speech, but by some strange 
chance we have failed either to sufficiently develop or 
to properly utilize them. Have we a mind, a brain, lungs, 
nerves, muscles, a tongue, lips, teeth, vocal cords, glottis, 
larynx and trachea ? There is no doubt about it ! We 
know that we have ! If this be true, then the fault can 
only lie with us, and certain it is that it is possible for 
us to correct the defect if we can but learn wherein we 
err, cultivate that which needs cultivation, and ascertain 
how to properly apply it to the organs we already have. 

And what is stammering? What need is there for a 
scientific definition? All of us know what it is — know 
it only too well ! Simply it is the inability to speak at 
will. Nor need we differentiate among the different forms 
of the defect. The effect is the same — we can't talk as 
others do. Is not that sufficient? Why, either should we 
discuss the anatomical construction of the organs of 



344 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

speech, or their physical action? All intelligent people 
are presumed to be informed along these lines. But what 
we do wish to get at, is the personal treatment necessary 
to effect a cure. And to this feature I particularly address 
myself. Cheer up, friends ! for whether a habit or disease, 
I answer — habits may be broken, and disease may be 
cured. 

If we can talk, but cannot do so at will, then there must 
be something radically wrong in the exercisement of our 
will. The will, however, is simply a creature of the mind. 
The mind, in turn, is but a mental function. Now, a func- 
tion necessarily presupposes an organ. All science demon- 
strates that this organ (of the mind) is the brain. Also, 
that this same brain is the organ of the body; else, why 
this network of nerves, motor and sensory, extending from 
the brain to every organ, muscle and bone in the body? 
If you admit this — and it does not permit of denial — then 
we have successfully arrived at my first proposition, i. e., 
that the brain being the organ of every mental and bodily 
function, and speech being produceable only by a certain 
and correct utilization of both functions; therefore, the 
first source of stammering lies in the brain. 

My next proposition is that stammering is due to a 
want of development in that convolution of the brain 
which governs "time." It is a scientific fact that the 
brain does not as a totality execute the mental functions 
as one great whole. But that as one part of the body 
sees, another breathes, a third executes motion, etc., so 
one part of the brain must, of necessity, execute one 
class of mental operations, and another part another class. 
Anatomists concede that different portions of the brain 
manifest different functions. Indeed, it is said that the 
brain is composed of as many distinct organs as the mind 
is of faculties. It is, therefore, no stretch of the imagina- 
tion to conclude that some particular portion or convolu- 
tion of the brain does not govern "time." Who can 
fail to perceive that a lack of proper periodicity, punc- 
tuality, etc., in utterance is the chief difficulty experienced 



HOW TO CURE STAMMERING 345 

by stammerers. Really, it is herein that we stammer. We 
cannot speak at the time we desire to, because the tongue 
refuses to leave the roots of the upper teeth on time; be- 
cause it repeats the same movement more times than is 
necessary for the utterance of the letter, syllable, or word 
we would speak; because the lips refuse to open or close 
on time, etc. The same is true of the contraction and 
dilatation of the glottis. 

It is all a question of time. We even think and breathe 
completely out of time. Therefore, I say, we should cer- 
tainly, and first of all in seeking a cure, pay especial 
attention to the cultivation and development of that 
organ of the brain which directs and controls "time." 

Where is this organ situated ? I don't know ! Nor is 
there any necessity that we should find out. For we do 
know that to develop any faculty of the mind it is but 
necessary to exercise that faculty. If we wish to improve 
our memory, we memorize, etc., etc. And if this is pos- 
sible to the mind, it is, for reasons already stated, possible 
to the brain. If, then, we would develop that part of 
the brain which regulates "time," we have but to prac- 
tice time. Practice time, periodicity in breathing, in 
speaking, in reading, in sleeping, in bathing, in eating, in 
all our actions — and it must, I think, so develop the proper 
convolution of the brain that we shall find not only relie£ 
from our affliction, but also that improvement in health, 
in strength of character, and in self-control which must 
result from regularity in habit. Periodicity is an infinitely 
important thing in this world of ours, and it behooves us 
to observe nature. How necessary that the sun, moon, 
and stars rise and set on time; that the seasons roll 
around on time ; that harvests mature, trains be dispatched 
and run, and business be commenced on time. Even life 
itself is composed of one continuous chain of successive 
events ! Its absence in nature and in man means con- 
fusion and ruin. Let the stammerer, therefore, practice 
time, time, time, until peridocity shall become a confirmed 
habit. 



34-6 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

My third proposition is that the building up and im- 
provement of HEALTH plays a large part in effecting a 
cure. I venture to assert that no stammerer enjoys 
thoroughly good health, and this without fear of contra- 
diction. Why? Because health consists in the normal 
and vigorous action of all physical functions and organs. 
And this no stammerer possesses. Is it attainable? Cer- 
tainly ! Because health is spontaneous. It is our normal 
state. To repossess ourselves of it, it is but necessary only 
not to abuse it ! Just here I fancy I hear some good 
friend exclaim, "Bosh! I don't enjoy particularly good 
health it is true, but I do not abuse it." Don't you? Let 
us see. Do you smoke, chew, use liquor, coffee, or tea; 
eat, sleep, bathe, or exercise irregularly; fret or worry? 
If so, then you do abuse your entire nervous system, and, 
consequently, your health. Stop these abuses and build 
up your nerves, your health, your speech, your happiness. 
We shall breathe, think, feel, speak, everything exactly 
right whenever the proper conditions are fulfilled. 

That liquor, narcotics, and want of proper exercise are 
injurious to the nervous system is too patent to admit of 
argument. But I wish to say something as to the neces- 
sity for a plenty of sleep, air, water, and cheerfulness; 
because of these things people take but little thought. 
Yet the lack of any one of them in proper quantity not 
only impairs what health we still have, but also greatly 
impedes the cure of stammering. 



AIR. 

All that lives breathes, and must keep on breathing till 
death. Without oxygen there cannot be life; and by 
breathing it is, that we get it. The first post-natal func- 
tion of a new-born babe is to take a good long breath, 
which sends the blood bounding off through its system 
with a rush, and starts every other function into instan- 
taneous action. Breath is the great "re-invigorator" of life 
and all its functions. Would you get warm and keep warm 



HOW TO CURE STAMMERING 347 

when cold; breathe copiously, for this increases the car- 
bonic consumption all through your system, which creates 
animal warmth. Would you cool off and keep cool in 
hot weather; long, deep, copious breathing will burst 
open those millions of pores, each of which by converting 
the water in the system into perspiration, casts out heat — 
and, how very important, unloads disease at every pore on 
the surface of the body; thus restoring health, strength 
and life. If anything, we should attend more to breathing 
than to eating. We cannot be intemperate in the use of 
air, for breathing oxygenizes and decarbonizes the blood. 
The more we breathe and the deeper we breathe in 
this oxygen, the less nervous, the less susceptible to dis- 
ease we become, and the more vigorous, hopeful and 
happy we are. 

Therefore, we should indulge daily and frequently in 
lung exercise and in any other exercise which demands 
lung action. The air, too, you must know, furnishes a 
natural bath, cleansing and purifying with its contact 
everything corrosive and destructive. If this be true, 
and we know that it is, why do we not daily, for a time, 
expose the whole body to its renovating processes? I 
have myself done this and can vouch for its efficacy. 



water 

No one can live without water. Undoubtedly, it is 
man's natural beverage. Beside promoting health, its 
medicinal properties are also great. No medicine, no diet, 
nothing equals its application, internal or external. 

EXTERNAL USE 

The body must be guarded at all points, its organs 
must be permitted to act as nature intended; its func- 
tions must not be interrupted. The waste and poisonous 
ingredients generated by this life process must be al- 
lowed to escape. The skin affects all these by means of 



34^ HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

its pores, some 3,000 being contained in every square 
inch of surface. Forget not that your skin furnishes the 
readiest mode of reaching and relieving your nerves. Per- 
spiration, sensible and insensible, is perpetually escaping 
from all parts of the skin. Thus is the waste matter car- 
ried off as fast as it is manufactured. Let me repeat, this 
waste matter is poisonous. It must escape, or we slowly 
extinguish life, and hence the imperative importance of 
keeping the pores open and free. This can only be accom- 
plished by frequent bathing. 

Water, therefore, should be freely applied to all parts of 
the body daily, if only by means of the sponge bath. Not 
only does this promote tone in body and mind, but by the 
process of absorption much of the oxygen in the water is 
thus taken into the system and supplies us with an addi- 
tional quantity. Marvelous, when we come to think of it, 
this body of ours ! 



INTERNAL USE 

We drink too little of water. Recently, in a German 
scientific journal, I read an article to the effect that for 
every ten pounds of weight a person should drink at least 
one glass of water daily. I do not question its correctness, 
for we know water to be one of the most powerful 
neutralizers of the corrupt matter in the stomach. Only 
a fluid could transport all these life materials and excre- 
tions from and to all parts. Excretions are continually 
passing off by perspiration, expiration, etc. It must be 
re-supplied or it will become exhausted. How is this 
re-supply to be furnished? Naturally and best by water. 
It is as essential to life as anything but air, and to some 
degree nature enforces its use, for all articles of food 
contain water, an irrefutable argument for its necessity. 
And let me once again impress it upon you that oxygen 
means life — water contains 88.9 parts of oxygen as to 
weight, and as to volume one-third. 



HOW TO CURE STAMMERING 349 

SLEEP 

All that lives, sleeps. It is life's sine qua non. It is a 
luxury, admitted free of duty, to be had for the asking. 
Yet how few of us appreciate it. Until it masters us, with 
what magnificent carelessness do we treat it. How many 
of us are willing to forego, say, a pleasure even. What 
do most of us care for the arrival of bedtime? It is 
treated as a matter of no consequence. Yet considering 
it only in respect to our bodies, the change produced 
by sleep is very considerable and most important. It 
is nature's repair shop; it is rest. Those whose hearts 
are oppressed, whom doubts and anxiety assail, whom 
maladies afflict, alone can estimate the value of sleep or 
know the sweets of its influence. No cure for nervousness 
at all equals it. Dismiss cares and troubles and quiet 
down. Let the world jog on, and things take their course, 
while you — you stop a bit and REST. 

CHEERFULNESS 

Cheerfulness means content; content, happiness; and 
happiness means quiet nerves and rest. Stop worrying. 
Every bad feeling, every unpleasant thought increases 
your malady, yet does no good. Make the best of what 
is, and seek amusement. Enjoy whatever you can enjoy, 
especially music; for this is an excellent tonic for the 
nerves, as well as a restorer of mental and physical 
balance — a pleasure producer. And pleasure is medicine. 
Think good thoughts. Observe and enjoy the glorious 
beauties of Nature, for these are "extras," as it were, 
thrown in upon us by the Almighty. Keep up a happy 
spirit, for your trouble is relievable. In a way you are not 
so unfortunate, for it you look about you at the cripple, 
the blind, the dying, surely there is room in plenty for 
gratitude. 



FACTS AND THEORIES 

As we pass from an old century into the realms of a 
new we are apt to reflect on the many advancements in 
science, civilization and moral philosophy; but with all the 
advanced learning of modern times, with all the precaution 
of our most eminent historians and philosophers, one of 
the saddest chapters of human history is still to be told. 
A tribe of sufferers handed down from generation to gen- 
eration, laughed at by the many, shunned and pushed aside 
at every turn, they were left to sink deeper and deeper 
into the slough of despondency. For ages, stammering 
people as a class have been sorely neglected. We find the 
fangs of stammering imbedded in one of the greatest men 
ancient Greece ever produced. 

Demosthenes, whose life is full of interest and instruc- 
tion, defrauded by his guardians and turned out in poverty 
on the world, weak in body and subject to great dejection, 
began his struggle for pre-eminence. Plutarch tells us 
that the first address by Demosthenes before the General 
Assembly was a complete failure owing to a stammering 
tongue; and we next find him shutting himself up in a 
cave with an invincible determination to free himself 
from the bonds of faulty utterance; and in the course of a 
few years we find him one of the most brilliant and pol- 
ished orators of the Grecian era. Demosthenes turned his 
attention to talking and reading aloud, and he himself 
proclaims in one of his orations that his physical and 
vocal deficiencies were overcome by practice. He would 
practice the pronunciation of certain letters of the alpha- 
bet; he would learn and recite verses, all of which, no 
doubt, had a tendency to correct the faulty muscles which 
govern the vocal organs, and by so doing he was perhaps 
unconsciously eradicating his vocal defects. But Hip- 
pocrates, an eminent physician and foresighted philosopher, 
attributed the cure of Demosthenes to the practice of 



FACTS AND THEORIES 351 

reading, pronunciation and respiration. In a measure he 
used precisely the same resources to affect his cure as are 
used in our stammering schools to-day. How came it to 
pass, then, that these enlightened views ever fell into 
oblivion ? 

The question is really only a part of the larger one, 
how it came to pass that the high aesthetic culture and 
brilliant intellectual development of the -Grecian era, 
which might have seemed possessions of mankind forever, 
were lost in the darkness and barbarism of the middle 
ages, and when at last a revival of learning took place, 
things were but little better. Early so-called "professors" 
did absolutely nothing for stammering people ; and to what 
little they professed to have accomplished we owe intense 
sufferings rather than thanks. The stammering people 
were left in the hands of coarse and ignorant charlatans, 
who aimed at everything else but to apply the correct 
resources to effect a cure. It is to this kind of ignorance 
that we owe much suffering and pain. It is mainly to 
this pompous set of egotists that we owe the defective 
earlier theories which have for so long usurped the posi- 
tion of the common sense principles adapted by intelligent 
vocalists. 

No one nowadays who is engaged in the treatment of 
stammering, doubts that he has to deal with a disordered 
function. Whatever opinion may be held concerning its 
essential nature, it is admitted on all sides that its mani- 
festations take place through the nervous systems and are 
affected by the conditions of the nervous parts which min- 
ister to them. But the nerves were falsely and erroneously 
considered to be the primitive and sole cause of stammer- 
ing; and some of the best intellectual representatives of 
the medical profession frankly admit that the same cloud 
of ignorance which has existed for generations upon thfe 
subject, still hovers over it. 

It is a shameful condition for people who have been 
suffering from remotest of times, and the question nat- 
urally arises : who is responsible for such intense and pro- 



352 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

longed suffering? It has been, perhaps, because we have 
had no brilliant, intellectual, smooth-spoken orator to put 
before the public the predicament of the stammerer. 
Simply because he was held in bondage by the "fangs" of 
that venomous serpent "stammering." Not until recently 
have men begun to regard stammering as a defect, 
caused in a measure to a certain lack of knowledge upon 
the part of the stammerer, of the correct manner of posi- 
tioning the organs of articulation in their relation one 
toward the other. Granted that the organs of speech are 
positioned properly, stammering is next to impossible. 

The old metaphysical ideas entertaining that stammer- 
ing was a disease have been exploded and in their place 
have been put substantial and brilliant methods, the firm- 
ness of which has been admirably proven and substan- 
tiated by eminent vocalists; and it is to them that we owe 
our thanks and it is by them and by their efforts that 
stammering people have been emancipated. 

Looking back at the strange and erroneous notions 
which were formally entertained as infallible for the cure 
of stammering, and considering what little observation 
was made of its manifold varieties, we cannot wonder 
that its jurisprudence was in a very defective state. It 
is evident that the farther medicine and the surgical case 
advanced on the path of inquiry, that the stammerer's woes 
and suffering were increased instead of diminished. 

The mind may be defined physiologically as the sum 
total of the three functions of the brain, which are known 
as thought, feeling and will; and from this, moral philos- 
ophy makes hard, fast lines, and lays down abstract prop- 
ositions concerning the power of the will to govern the 
vocal functions; but when the utmost power of the will 
is summoned to your command, and when the mind and 
body are subject to the utmost tension, in the hope of 
overcoming the defect, and when at last articulation is 
attempted, we find the same faulty conditions of the mus- 
cles, which throws the stammerer into a sort of deep 
melancholy, a close and dangerous ally of stammering, 






FACTS AND THEORIES 353 

which should and must be carefully guarded against, in 
the hope of obtaining a cure. 

Let us not deceive ourselves, then, with vain imagina- 
tions that stammering is due to any one cause; that the 
nerves or will-power is the sole and primitive cause of 
the defect, nor that the cure of stammering lies within 
some powerful nerve stimulant, or the intellectual develop- 
ment of the will. True it is that both the nerves and will- 
power are important factors to be considered in the cure 
of stammering, but taken separately and treated apart as 
two distinct functions, and falsely considering that the one 
has no bearing upon the other, you will find such resourses 
fruitless; they have a tendency to decrease the hopes of 
the stammerer. The cure of stammering is the result of 
long and diligent practice of the methods which have been 
given us, and can only be obtained by diligent persis- 
tence of logical reasoning and a thorough understanding 
of your own defect; a knowledge of the vocal functions 
and the duties which they are intended to perform. 

The larynx is the special organ of voice; it lies just 
below the root of the tongue, in front of the pharynx and 
under the skin. It is composed chiefly of cartilages, with 
a mucous membrane and ligaments; the upper chamber of 
the larynx is called the glottis, and it is the contraction of 
the glottis which, perhaps, has evidenced the manifestation 
of stammering. At the top of the glottis is a small lid 
known as the epiglottis, which is vertical during respira- 
tion, but closed backward over the glottis when swallow- 
ing; the posterior arytenoid muscle has control of the epi- 
glottis, and it is owing to the spasmodic action of this mus- 
cle that the breath is emitted from the lungs in irregular 
jerks, which in time develop into stammering. But the 
spasmodic action of the epiglottis must not be considered 
the sole manifestation of stammering. In fact, we have, 
only traced the first step of our mighty foe, for we 
have only considered the voice; speech articulation 
as well as voice is necessary; and in this the tongue, 
palate, lips and teeth are employed. To produce clear 

23 



354 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

articulation the employed functions must be trained to act 
in unison and simultaneously; the air expelled from the 
lungs must have free and unobstructed passage through 
the trachea in order to supply the other functions with 
breath during articulation. 

The stammerer in his forced efforts to articulate, 
stops the continuous flow of breath either entirely or 
partly; the breath must necessarily escape in some way 
and is forced up the passage against the will of the stam- 
merer and escapes between the teeth, causing that ever 
familiar sound, the "hiss." The outgoing breath being 
exhausted, the stammerer attempts to articulate during 
inhalation, but finding it impossible he gives up, completely 
exhausted. For each and every attempt of this kind his 
mental emotion is increased, and the constant dread of 
stammering is always before him. Such a condition of 
affairs is exceedingly dangerous, as in time it cannot but 
help to impair the mental and physical faculties of the 
sufferer and often results in a case of the "dreaded melan- 
cholia." 

The stammerer may greatly relieve himself by paying 
strict attention to respiration, by full contraction and 
expansion of the lungs at each breath. 

By this method he will greatly improve the action 
of the breathing apparatus and by so doing he will take 
an important step toward the eradication of his defect. 
Loss of sleep, dissipation and fear are all dangerous allies, 
as they in time impair the general health of the sufferer. 

It is by no means an easy task to completely cure a 
severe case of stammering, no matter how complete the 
method may be. Your habit of stammering was not ac- 
quired in a week or in a month; stammering does not 
spring upon a victim as the leopard does upon his prey, but 
the embryo has been germinating within you for months; 
yes, even years ; and from this we infer that you cannot be 
cured of your defect in a day, or a week, for the muscles 
must be trained to uniform obedience of the will and 
the will must be trained to a steady and intellectual control 
of the muscles. This may require a month or two. 



FACTS AND THEORIES 355 

It is upon this principle that the best stammering 
schools in the country are founded, and it is through this 
method that thousands of sufferers have been emancipated 
from the bondage of faulty utterance. Although an eman- 
cipation has been issued to stammering people, the infalli- 
bility of which nobody doubts, yet it is by no means com- 
plete, for there still remain thousands of sufferers, who, 
on account of various circumstances, are unable to avail 
themselves of a course at a stammering school. 

If you cannot attend a school, it is your duty to seek 
and find the cause of your defect. Always struggle on- 
ward with the confident hope that the day will dawn, 
although it is yet only the twelfth hour of night. 

In the hope of obtaining a cure, you should guard care- 
fully all effects which have a tendency to weaken the 
mental or physical faculties; avoid extreme excitement 
and agitation, as it only weakens the nervous system, 
which in time will prove a serious opponent to hope of 
obtaining a cure. 

For the manifold varieties of stammering thousands 
of theories have been imposed upon the public as infallible 
for its cure, but in conclusion let me say, regardless of 
whatever opinion may be held by others ; there is only 
one way of eradicating it and that is by vocal gymnastics. 

Many parents make the mistake of teaching their 
children to talk at too tender an age. This manner of 
"cramming" children and burdening their little minds 
with an extensive vocabulary oftentimes excites within the 
brain of the child a dormant or hidden predisposition to- 
ward stammering. This is shown in the fact that the 
large majority of children who subsequently turn out to be 
stammerers, speak plainly enough when they first com- 
mence to talk. It is only after they have discovered in 
their utterance an irregularity that the difficulty begins to 
manifest itself to any marked degree. This irregularity is 
often brought on by overtaxing the child-mind, the reac- 
tion of which is often dangerous. Let the child acquire 



35<> HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

its vocabulary by imitation, observation and listening. 
Especially should this plan be followed out, in children 
where predisposition toward stammering is suspected. 



THE ERADICATION OF STAMMERING 

There is no sickness, disease or defect of any kind that 
has received so little attention as stuttering and stammer- 
ing. In fact, until recent years it has received practically 
no attention. The cause of this may be attributed mainly 
to the fact that in reality it is not a disease and cannot be 
classed as such, consequently this long standing neglect. 
Physiological science has, until recent years, attributed the 
main cause of these impediments to carelessness on the 
part of the afflicted, which was unreasonable to the utter- 
most, although we must admit that the defect is often con- 
tracted through carelessness. But let the impediment 
grasp its hold, let the patient become a confirmed stam- 
merer, and he will stammer no more from carelessness. 
No one afflicted with such an impediment would hesitate 
in speaking if he knew how to avert stammering. 

Impediments of speech vary in form and nature and may 
be divided into many classes, such as drawling, lisping, 
mumbling, burring, stammering and stuttering. The first 
four mentioned are minor defects. There are other defects 
which are caused by the organs of speech being malformed, 
such as cleft-palate or hare-lip. These cases (cleft palate 
and hare-lip) yield only to surgical treatment. As this 
article is mainly for the interest of stammerers and stut- 
terers, we will confine our writing to these two defects. 
Some writers regard stammering and stuttering as one 
and the same thing, while there are others who strongly 
insist upon the necessity of distinguishing one from the 
other as implying two different forms. 



THE ERADICATION OF STAMMERING ... 357 

The definitions generally given are these : Stammering, 
a defect in the utterance of consonants ; stuttering, repeti- 
tion of words or syllables. Although they somewhat differ 
we will often find them existing in the same person. This 
is termed stammering and stuttering combined. These 
defects are in most cases acquired by the sufferer in the 
early stages of life, namely, childhood; nevertheless they 
may be contracted at any later period of life. They orig- 
inate from many causes. Stammering may be the result 
of a severe sickness ; it may be the result of sudden fright, 
and lastly it may result from a cause from which so many 
cases originate, namely, mimicry or imitation. 

Sad indeed is the case where the impediment is acquired 
through imitation, and severe is the punishment. Some 
writers claim that a disposition favorable to the develop- 
ment of the impediment may be inherited. If the parents 
are stammerers, it comes very natural for the child to 
also stammer. A child will ever imitate its parents ; if the 
parents speak correctly, the child will learn to speak cor- 
rectly; whereas, if they stammer, the child will stammer. 
It is hardly correct to attribute stammering to heredity. 
It would be more correct to attribute it to mimicry, but a 
child is not to be censured for contracting the impediment, 
for it does so in ignorance. 

If parents, governesses, teachers and tutors possessed 
more knowledge upon the subject, we would find the num- 
ber of sufferers greatly decreased; but they being in- 
competent to direct the articulation of children, a simple 
case of stuttering soon finds its way to that stage of the 
defect known as stammering. A stern parent need not 
expect to break the habit through blows of the punishing 
rod. Fear of the punishment is alone enough to bring 
forth a convulsive fit of stuttering. 

All sufferers of these defects have most likely at some 
time or other made the attempt to cure themselves, but 
with the general result, failure. Why? Because they 



35^ HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

lacked one thing which is ever essential in a cure of the 
defect. They lacked self-confidence. They did not be- 
lieve at the very beginning that the vocal and physical 
exercises they were taking would prove of any benefit. 
Why did they not believe that the treatment they were 
taking would cure the defect? Because there was nothing 
to encourage them. A stammerer will put in two or three 
hours hard work at exercise and then voluntarily or 
through necessity attend to other business, and before 
he is aware of it he is stammering as before. Many 
stammerers believe that they, being unable to cure 
themselves, will find no better result at an institution. 
This is wrong. At an institution you have everything 
to encourage you. Pupils who were stammerers be- 
fore attending the institution are, when cured, sent 
home with joyful hearts. Another thing is this, they who 
are undergoing treatment at the institution are not al- 
lowed to stammer as they had allowed themselves to do 
while trying to effect self-cure. Constant care is exer- 
cised over them. Therefore, we must maintain that 
the safest and quickest way to get cured is to at- 
tend an institution. No stammerer need fear that his 
case is incurable. If you attend a reliable school for the 
cure of stammering, you will soon be cured. But to those 
who are not yet ready to enter an institution we will 
try to give a few hints, sincerely hoping that they may 
prove of benefit to some poor sufferer. 

First of all, you should try to give your mind a clear 
conception of the different organs used in the production 
of speech. In order to abolish an evil you must first of all 
know wherein it exists. It is not my intention to venture 
at a minute description of the anatomy of voice, but I 
will not withhold a few remarks regarding phonation. The 
foundation of speech is voice, or sound. Sound is brought 
forth by a current of air passing up from the lungs 
through the trachea (sometimes called the windpipe). 
This current of air striking the vocal cords, which are 
situated immediately below the aperture of the trachea, 



THE ERADICATION OF STAMMERING 359 

generates sound. It now remains for the organs of the 
mouth to modify the sound thus generated into articula- 
tive speech. The organs of articulation are the lips, 
tongue, teeth, oral cavity, nasal cavity, etc. 

A distensible cavity called the pharynx is situated at 
the back part of the mouth, below it is the glottis, above 
it are the nostrils. When the pharyngeal opening is cov- 
ered by the soft palate, the expiring breath finds its way 
into the mouth; the latter being closed it will distend the 
pharynx. When uttering the sharp letters, such as k, p, 
j, b, etc., they should be pronounced with the breath con- 
tained in the pharynx, and no further emission should be 
allowed from the glottis. In a case of stammering we 
find here a faulty action, instead of uttering them as above 
stated, the stammerer will allow the chest to fall, that is 
he will allow the glottis to emit the breath and by this 
means try to articulate the letters. This is decidedly 
wrong; it is wasting breath. They should be uttered 
by the breath contained in the pharynx, and no further 
emission from the glottis should be allowed. This is one 
point a stammerer should remember, speak without wast- 
ing the breath. Let us observe one more point regarding 
phonation, and that is the pitch of voice. It is due to the 
variation in length of the vocal cords. Thus we find 
when the vocal cords are stretched to their utmost ten- 
sion the highest pitch of voice is attained. We may notice 
while singing in a high pitch, the voice tires more easily 
than if a low pitch were maintained. The stammerer 
invariably speaks in a high pitch, which leads to ex- 
haustion. Try to maintain a lower pitch. 

Knowing that stammering and stuttering differ one from 
the other, we will try to discuss them separately. Stut- 
tering may be termed a proclivity. To eradicate stutter- 
ing, vocal exercises are most necessary. A stutterer does 
not possess the harmonious cooperation of the different 
organs of speech necessary to make it fluent. The stut- 
terer finds difficulty in subjoining the vowels to the con- 



360 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

sonants. For instance, when trying to say the word "pa," 
he will utter the consonant p three or four times be- 
fore subjoining the vowel a. Practice the letters separ- 
ately before forming them into words, and learn to speak 
low and distinctly. A stutterer generally says what he 
wants to say, but it takes him some time to do it, he 
simply stutters or repeats rapidly. 

Let us now look at stammering and again see where it 
differs from stuttering. Stammering is not a proclivity, 
but we may term it an imaginary disease. We meet in 
daily life people who suffer from no sickness or disease 
of any kind, but still they are ever complaining. These 
people are called "maladies imaginaries." Can we not 
compare the stammerer with these people to some extent? 
They are known to take so much care of their constitu- 
tions, and give the body so little exercise that in time the 
body becomes rigid and unwilling to act. The class of 
people above mentioned, namely, "maladies imaginaries," 
are known to confine themselves to their bed for imaginary 
sickness. This only tends to weaken the body. Let them 
get up, and after giving the body the necessary exercise, a 
better feeling will soon overcome the illness, which by 
this time will have left them. But what has this to do 
with stammering? We shall see. A stammerer secludes 
himself from the outer world, does not mingle with stran- 
gers, abstains from talking as much as possible. Where 
the "malady imaginary" refrains from bodily exercise, the 
stammerer refrains from vocal exercise. The stammerer 
must emerge from his seclusion, meet with strangers, face 
them bravely, know that there is no one to fear but God, 
and before the lapse of many months a considerable 
amount of fear which is ever harrowing, will have left 
him. 

Each case of stammering seems to manifest some indi- 
vidual peculiarity, in other words, no two cases of stam- 
mering or stuttering are just alike, consequently, a general 
set of rules governing the cure of all cases cannot be laid 
down. Suggestions may be given, and the pupil, after 



THE ERADICATION OF STAMMERING 361 

studiously looking into his case, can work out a course of 
procedure most suited to him. The seat of difficulty in a 
case of stammering lies mainly in a faulty action of the 
respiratory organs. We find in a case of stammering that 
the diaphragm, situated in the cavity of the chest, is de- 
pressed by the contraction of the latter. The chest is 
turned inward instead of outward, the shoulders, instead 
of being thrown back, are languidly hanging forward. 
Here are two things which must be avoided. The irregu- 
larity in breathing and the depression of the diaphragm. 
Let us look forward to a remedy. First of all set aside 
certain hours of the day for breathing exercises — in taking 
which it would be practicable to count from one to a cer- 
tain number, say from one to six — do this while inhaling 
and the same while exhaling. Repeat the exercise every 
day for about, two weeks. In addition to this add exercises 
in calisthenics, for instance, the swinging of Indian clubs, 
or dumb bells. A long walk in the fresh morning air is 
splendid exercise for the building up of the diaphragm. 
It may be necessary to state that these exercises ought to 
be taken up ^gradually. To go at them with too much 
vigor in the very beginning, only tends to tire the body. 
Do not try to extirpate an evil in three or four days that 
has taken root many years ago and proved a hindrance 
to the development of every success to be accomplished in 
life. 

The development of the chest is a main point to be 
regarded while undertaking a cure. Let us observe a 
clergyman or other public speaker, and we will gener- 
ally observe that there is a conspicuous development 
of the chest. Let the stammerer try to follow the 
example of the public speaker and develop the chest, 
as this alone helps the abnormal action of the diaphragm. 
In addition to the exercises above suggested, the pupil 
must add vocal exercises, practice the letters alone 
before forming them into words; by and by venture 
to give readings and recitations to a number of friends. 
In course of time the voice will become firm and strong 



362 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

and the impediment will soon leave you. To cure an 
ordinary case of stuttering is not difficult, but if the im- 
pediment be not checked in time, the patient will soon 
find his case has taken a decided turn for the worse, that 
is, stammering and stuttering combined, and finally he 
becomes a confirmed stammerer. 

Excitement has a great deal to do with stammering. 
When a person is excited the respiratory organs work 
fast and irregular; this has effect on the mechanism of 
the glottis, consequently when trying to speak, a hesita- 
tion is the result. In a person not addicted to stammer- 
ing the respiratory organs regain their normal condition 
more rapidly than in one thus addicted. A stammerer 
tries to open the glottis by force. In this he seldom suc- 
ceeds. When he does, he may utter one or two words, 
then finding himself on the verge of exhaustion he must 
stop and fill his lungs, which are now completely empty; 
in this interval, while renewing his strength, he also renews 
his fear; the excitement under which he labors instead of 
leaving him only increases. When making a second at- 
tempt, he finds it a complete failure. Finally, recognizing 
his inability to control any of the organs producing 
speech, he gives up in despair. A stammerer should 
not allow himself to get excited, and should by no means 
try to speak while laboring under excitement. 

There is still another point to be looked at. Before 
undertaking to cure a case of stuttering or stammering, 
the sufferer ought to refrain from all such tendencies as 
serve to excite the nerves. Do not use tobacco; avoid 
alcoholic liquors by all means. The habitual drinking of 
coffee is also to be avoided. After the foundation of a 
cure is laid down, its perfection and the time occupied 
therein depends fully on the aptitude and self-control of 
the afflicted. Just how long it will take to effect a cure, 
cannot be determined. But, let it take a few weeks, yes, 
even months, I am sure after the object is accomplished 
the stammerer will say it was well worth it. The safest 
and quickest way to cure the malady is to attend a good 



VOLITIVE REGION IN STAMMERERS 363 

institution. To those to whom this is impossible, I would 
say, cure yourself and remember that perseverance even- 
tually leads to success. 



VOLITIVE REGION IN STAMMERERS 

As this is a subject that every stammerer is deeply 
interested in, I will endeavor to the best of my ability, 
from a careful and thorough life-study of the subject, to 
give stammerers something beneficial and of interest. 

I deem it needless to define stammering or stuttering 
at any great length. I think there is not a person in ex- 
istence, afflicted by this speech impediment, who does not 
understand what is meant by these terms, and those who 
are not thus afflicted, but who have surveyed the stam- 
merer under the distressing labor of attempting to convey 
his thoughts to his companions, can readily realize its 
power upon its subjects. 

Stammering is a mental and physical defect; the ratio 
to one another stands five mental and one physical; thus 
in attempting to cure the defect, this should be one of the 
important things to keep in mind. 

The question may be asked: Where do you get this 
ratio? I consider this a very important question to 
answer, and do not wonder why so many stammerers 
would ask it. 

We must view the stammerer in all his peculiar traits, 
but do not understand me to say, this is a strict, and 
unvariable ratio in each case ; the disposition, temperament 
and surroundings have much to do in establishing it, and 
it may vary slightly above or below this estimation. 

1st. As a proof of mental or psychical defect, we are 
aware that the stammerer can read or speak with perfect 



364 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

fluency when alone. (Reason.) No embarrassment exist- 
ing in case of failure. 

2nd. He can speak or give command to animals. 
(Reason.) Same as No. 1. 

3rd. He can often read selections or deliver declama- 
tions before audiences. (Reason.) Measured time as in 
music. He knows what he is going to say. 

We are well aware that many stammerers fail to speak 
because they themselves do not know what they want to 
say. In this case; (first,) know what you want to say; 
(second,) say it. 

4th. We find that he is capable of rendering reading 
selections with less fear and nervous strain the first time 
he attempts to render them than at any following time, 
for he then has no knowledge of words in the selection 
that are in his non-speakable vocabulary. 

5th. Speaking to near and dear friends who are in 
sympathy with him, and whose very life is a part of him- 
self, puts the stammerer so much at ease, and so soothes 
his nervous system, that it enables him to speak much bet- 
ter; while on the contrary, if he is confronted by a stern, 
strong and firm-willed person, it is with great difficulty 
that he can speak at all. 

As a physical defect, we find the most difficulty in 
breathing. 

To overcome the physical defect, perfect your breath- 
ing; by this I mean, get complete control of the respiratory 
system, which can be accomplished by following any recog- 
nized system of breathing exercises. 

I shall first endeavor to treat the physical side of the 
defect, and shall endeavor to substantiate in terms that are 
convincing within themselves that the means of cure is 
practicable. In order to speak with ease and fluency we 
should have a free and controllable current of air flowing 
past the vocal cords. How often have we seen the stam- 
merer standing (as a statute) with all the expressions of 
pain and agony upon his face, unable to make a sound, or 
to force a particle of air past the vocal cords. Where, 



VOLITIVE REGION IN STAMMERERS 365 

then, is the difficulty? Is it in the lungs, bronchial tubes, 
trachea or larynx ? 

The principal defect, viewing the physical side of the 
question, is in the abnormal action of the diaphragm. 
Here is the foundation from which we should begin to 
build for our success in the physical work. Practice and 
labor diligently, until you have obtained a complete con- 
trol over the diaphragmatic muscles. 

Cultivate deep, full breathing, take in quick, even 
gasps, expel same, retain full breath as long as possible, 
expel slowly and gradually. Work in all the combined 
acts of breathing you can think of, but be sure it is by use 
of the diaphragm ; also use the vowel sounds in connection, 
to cultivate tone production. Gymnasium exercise is also 
very essential; it invigorates and enlivens, better fitting 
the person for the task he has to accomplish. 

Now, turn your attention for a moment to the mental 
phase of the defect. Realize that work in this line prompts 
and promotes a cure. As legislative bodies are divided 
into committees, to better perform the duties and obliga- 
tions required of them, so also the brain in like manner is 
divided into regions, to perform the duties imposed upon 
it with more precision and detail. 

By dividing the brain as above mentioned, we will find 
the following: Intellectual, emotional, volitive, animal and 
basilar regions. These respective regions are subdivided 
into other small regions, each having a special function to 
perform. It would be useless to go through the complex 
explanation of all the regions, especially those having no 
special bearing upon the subject. But we shall take up the 
volitive region, of which, in one of its subdivisions, we 
shall find lurking the difficulty, stammering. Under this 
division we have stability, temperance, sanity and health. 
We will class this region with its subdivisions as the 
volitive faculties. The generic term "will" comprehends 
those faculties, the action of which is termed volition. 
The faculties of the will are determination, firmness, 
decision, ambition, authority and vigilance. Here lies 



366 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

the secret hiding place of the deficiency of the stam- 
merer. Here is where we must begin our work of re- 
pair. To do so, this portion of the brain must be 
strengthened and developed. There is but one way to 
accomplish this, and that is to cultivate and strengthen 
will-power. To do this, the stammerer must work upon 
all the faculties mentioned, in fact, "he must be master of 
all he surveys." He must discontinue the timid and fear- 
ing way in which he is treading, and instead become 
master of his language. He must discontinue his thoughts 
of words which seem impossible for him to speak. He 
must give no forethought to such words, but make him- 
self believe that there is not a word in his vocabulary 
which he cannot articulate. 

Will should not only be observed in speech, but in every 
movement of the stammerer. Every step, every expres- 
sion and every thought should be with firmness and deter- 
mination if he wishes to be successful and accomplish his 
desired end. This practice is not only beneficial to the 
stammerer, but to any person who wishes to cultivate the 
faculty of will-power. The business man, doctor, orator or 
persons in any vocation of life, should have determination, 
firmness and a strong will in every respect if they wish to 
be successful. Then why, in a similar way, would not the 
stammerer he successful in overcoming his speech im- 
pediment? 

Will-power is to the nervous system what steam is to 
an engine ; without it, we are as helpless as a ship in mid- 
ocean, with its masts and sails a total wreck. 
In establishing a cure, the stammerer must cultivate and 
would say it is a combined physical and mental defect. 
The physical defect lies in improper breathing, the mental 
in an undeveloped state of the volitive region of the brain. 
In establishing a cure, the afflicted must cultivate and 
improve his breathing, until he has perfect control over it. 
He must also strengthen and develop the volitive region 
of the brain. There is no other cause for stammering than 
stated. From a lifetime of research and diligent study, I 



HELP FOR THE STAMMERER 367 

have come to this conclusion. You may hold the subject 
up in every light, and view it every form of its complexity, 
and you will find your thoughts coming to a rendezvous 
on this conclusion. The marksman trains and cultivates 
the eye and nerves ; the prize fighter and wrestler, the mus- 
cles; the mathematician the portion of the brain that 
relates to and controls mathematics. Why should not the 
stammer train, develop and cultivate that portion of the 
brain which expresses thought? 

If training, practice and cultivation are the means of 
of obtaining success and perfection in all other vocations 
there is then no doubt but that here also lies the success 
of the stammerer. 



HELP FOR THE STAMMERER 

Of all the afflictions that man is heir to, none 
bring more misery than stammering. The stammerer has 
his full senses and is fearfully conscious of his own 
defect. Many a time he has thought over his sad lot. 
At night he dreams of his torments of the day and in the 
morning, he awakens to a new day's misery. Some u 
times he dreams that he has acquired free speech, but 
the awakening shows him the fearful truth. "Can I be 
cured?" is the question that ever presents itself to him. 
The answer is, "You can, under certain conditions." The 
stammerer must remember that the Almighty put him in 
this world for something. He should never despair, for 
if he is industrious, free speech will some day become a 
shining and glorious reality. 

The stammerer should first of all will that he be cured. 
The word will as used here does not mean a mere acqui- 
escence, but it means that no stone should be left unturned, 
nothing should be left undone, in order that he may possess 
untrammeled speech. He should fix this idea firmly in 



3^8 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

mind before he begins a course of treatment, for, as 
the doctor says, "if the patient is confident, (i. e. feels and 
wills that he can be cured,) then the battle is half won." 

But although the will is of great importance, it is not 
everything that makes for a cure. A systematic course of 
treatment is necessary. It is best for the stammerer to go 
to a good school. There are, however, many who cannot 
go, many who have duties at home which deter them for 
the present. To this latter class these words are mainly 
directed. Moreover, if this home-work is carried out, the 
preparation for a course will be so much the better. 

The stammerer having decided to concentrate all his 
energy on the cure, should take pencil and paper and jot 
down the various useful ideas which occur to him, and 
which he thinks may help him in the future. He finds his 
thoughts falling into several divisions. 

He knows he stammers. He knows it causes a great 
misery. He knows that his inferiors are passing him in the 
race of life, merely because he cannot speak easily his ideas 
and opinions. Sometimes an inferior with swagger and 
bluster imposes on the world, while the afflicted one, far 
more capable aside from his speech, must be silent and 
ponder over his misfortune. Has not the stammerer been 
thought dull, and has he not been mocked on account of 
this impediment? Let him resolve that his speech must 
be free and that he will obtain recognition from the world. 

Now come the questions, "What caused me to be thus 
afflicted? Was it on account of sickness during infancy? 
Was it on account of mimicry? Did I inherit a tendency 
from my ancestors ?" These and other questions he should 
put to himself, and with the help of this treatise 
on stammering, he may obtain an answer. He may find 
that it was not one cause alone, but a combination of 
several causes. Knowing the cause, may help decidedly 
in making strong the sources of weakness. 

Then the stammerer should decide upon a course of 
treatment. As there are different forms of stammering, 
there are also different ways of treating cases. One 



HELP FOR THE STAMMERER 369 

person may have more time than another. Circum- 
stances alter cases. One can readily perceive what great 
value it is to attend a good school, if one has the time and 
means. The writer has found a great deal may be accom- 
plished if the work of each day is systemized. There 
should be special attention given to the regularity of all 
that makes for a daily routine of health. The rising hour 
should not be later than half-past six in the morning. 
Late sleeping devitalizes rather than strengthens the 
body. Systematic exercise should be taken morning and 
evening, aside from brisk walks in the open air. While 
walking, give earnest attention to deep breathing. All 
stimulating drinks should be entirely avoided, as well as 
poorly-prepared and indigestible foods. Dinner should 
be eaten at noon, a light supper only being taken at eve- 
ning. If the day's work has been a taxing one, there 
should be, after supper, a period of relaxation, after which 
read aloud from some book by a cheerful, optimistic writer, 
This will prove beneficial to the speech and mind. 

In these days when health journals specify so particu- 
larly as to what constitutes the right care of the body, the 
subject of baths and food need not be enlarged upon. 

Cultivate a hopeful view of life and its purposes. This 
attitude of mind will banish much that worries and cor- 
rodes the spirit. Think of pleasant things and seek the 
society of cheerful, well-balanced people. 

As to speech, think what you are going to say — then 
speak slowly and definitely. If your thought is well poised 
its expression will be more tranquil. 

It would not be a bad plan to copy the following little 
table, making such amendments thereto as would help in 
specific cases, but some systematic reminder of what has 
been resolved upon as a course, will be very helpful. 

MORNING 

Arise at 6:30 o'clock. 

Drink a glass of water while dressing. 

Exercise the body. 

24 



37° HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

Brisk walk in open air for about 10 minutes. 
Breakfast : — 

Take no coffee nor tea. 

Eat stale bread. 

Eat plain light food, slowly. 

NOON 

Sip one or more glasses of water, slowly. 
Dinner : — 

Eat slowly and masticate well. 

Avoid fatty substances and unripe animal and unripe 
vegetable food. 

Fruit and vegetables (good). 

AFTERNOON AND EVENING 

Voice culture. 
Eat supper early. 
Rest half an hour after eating. 
Study or work till 8 p. m. 

Then read to some one aloud, using pleasant and humor- 
ous reading, or instead carry on conversation. 
Retire at 9:30 p. m. 



GENERAL RULES 

Bathe four times a week, in summer, every day. 

Take no alcoholic liquors. 

Speak slowly and distinctly. 

Before speaking, think what you are going to say, and 
then say it without deviating an iota from the sentence 
planned in the mind. 

Don't worry. Don't get excited. 

Think of pure and pleasant things. 

Cultivate the social side of life. 

This plan carried out will prove beneficial to the stam- 
merer. It is, of course, hard to hold one's self bound to a 
daily course of practice. It is so easy to say, "To-morrow 
I'll practice." The very act of self-discipline, insistence on 



DO STAMMERERS LACK INDIVIDUALITY? tfl 

doing the thing systematically planned, reacts to the ad- 
vantage of the stammerer. It is one of the steps in the 
right education of his will. With some there is undue 
expectancy of a sudden cure. If this hope is not borne 
out, then down go the spirits, the plan in hand is aban- 
doned and something more alluring is taken up with tem- 
porary enthusiasm. This is wrong. "Stick-to-it-iveness" 
is no small factor in character building. It is one no 
stammerer can afford to neglect. He must learn to per- 
severe. He must endeavor to work with added zeal each 
new week — devoting to concentrated effort the energy 
previously lost in worry. The results will then surpass 
his fondest dreams. 



DO STAMMERERS LACK INDIVIDUALITY? 

It has been argued that stammering is but a species of 
moral cowardice, that the stammerer lacks individuality, 
that his difficulty is but an evidence of lacking personality, 
and, in a sense, speaking purely from a moral standpoint, 
that he is a coward because he is afraid to attempt what 
others can easily accomplish. Whether these accusations 
be true or not, it is certain that stammerers as a class in 
many respects, regard themselves as unequal to others, 
probably because of their natural weakness (stammering), 
which closes many avenues leading to the goal of suc- 
cess, and which, but for their unfortunate condition, 
would otherwise welcome them. Personality is usually 
lacking in the stammerer. 

One of the most wonderful things we notice in looking 
into a hundred or a thousand faces, says one writer: 
is that no one of them looks exactly like any other; all 
have many things in common, but each has about it that 
indescribable something that we call personality. 

Did you ever think how much depends upon personality ? 



37 2 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

I walked down town this morning, but came back on a 
trolley car. There was a man on the car whose person- 
ality overshadowed everything else. I supposed I knew 
as much about ordinary things as the man who was run- 
ning that car, but I had no right to touch the handle of it 
or to try to run it. There were some things that indicated 
that the individual, his personality, was the controlling 
power that moved the whole thing. 

We sometimes say that when a man dies, it is like put- 
ting your finger in water and taking it out — it makes no 
difference. That is true in a sense, yet I believe that each 
one of us fills a part of life which no one else could fill. 
The essential characteristic of every individual is, shall I 
say, beyond action and above action? It is that which he 
puts into his thoughts and purposes, as well as his action, 
and which creates influence. Influence is one of those 
things we can never measure. I have just come from 
the room where I saw the machine by which muscular 
strength is tested. But there is something back of that 
which charts will not measure, and that is a wonderful 
something called vitality, or life. Besides that, there is 
individuality; and the mystery of individuality is as great, 
in many respects, as the mystery of life. 

Your are probably not conscious of your individuality. 
Did you ever say to yourself after shaking hands with 
some stranger, "I ought to know that man, at least I should 
like to know him?" At another time you meet a man, 
but you shrink from him as you would from an iceberg. 
Why is this? — It is because you were struck by the un- 
conscious individuality of these men; they were not con- 
scious of their individuality, and you were not conscious of 
yours. Your largest influence is probably your uncon- 
scious influence; it is unconsciously given off so far as 
you are concerned, and unconsciously received, so far as 
others are concerned. If I could by some movement of my 
hand just now, take that subtle thing called "influence," 
and portray just what lines of it are going out from your 
lives to other lives, I am sure I should have a wonderful 
picture. 



DO STAMMERERS LACK INDIVIDUALITY? 373 

I would impress upon you this thought, that to give out 
such an influence as you ought, to be able to put into your 
lives that which will make other lives better, you must 
be something. The pagan religions say, "Do something, 
that you may attain." But Christianity says, "Be some- 
thing that you may do something and therefore may 
attain." So my thought is this : You must be everything 
you ought to be, in order that the best unconscious influ- 
ence may go out from you. The inner life has, in a 
peculiar sense, a moral and intellectual odor, and this I 
call the unconscious influence that goes out from you. 
Make your inner life, then, when measured by the most 
rigid test, the noblest and purest possible. 

-You say, "These muscles are weak; they must be 
trained," and take physical exercise in the gymnasium, — 
you fairly burn the midnight oil in seeking physical im- 
provement. Now, you must do the same thing with 
respect to your inner life. 

I once knew a very good man, a teacher, one of those 
unfortunate men who want to lead people. He used to say, 
"I just know that if people would let me have my way, I 
should be a great leader." But other people would not let 
him have his way. The men and women who are always 
striving to lead, never succeed. Men and women whose 
personality is so developed in their lives that they are 
always doing the things that people admire and love, will 
lead without effort; true, there are many who would like 
to pull them down, but that is neither here nor there, as 
regards the principle. Be yourself what you ought to be, 
and you will succeed. 

Let me urge upon you the fact that the place you are to 
fill will be measured by your individuality. You are an 
important part of the great whole. You may be tempted to 
say, "I am only one out of a hundred, and if I do not do 
this work, some one else will do it." This is a mistake. 
Some one else will do his work, but that will not be your 
work. Some one else may accomplish what you ought to 
accomplish, and you may be pushed aside and left like 
the debris thrown upon the banks of a stream by high 



374 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

water, but that is a failure. Don't feel that you can leave 
a single thing that you should do, for some one else to do. 
Let every ounce of power at your command be given to 
the performance of the duty which lies nearest you, and 
let nothing be thought too small to be considered in the 
light of a sacred trust. 

We have a way of asking busy men to do things for us, 
and to help us. Why?— Because it is the busy men who 
succeed; they succeed because they are busy in looking 
after every detail of their business, and in seeing that it 
is well done. Do you remember the story of the Boston 
millionaire? Some one in conversation with him re- 
marked that he had understood that when he was a boy, he 
had not had much of a chance. "Why," said he, "I have 
heard men say that they remembered you when you were 
nothing but a drummer-boy." Well," said the million- 
aire, "didn't I drum well?" Conscientious care and 
painstaking is the secret of success. If you are to dig a 
hole in the ground, dig the hole as it ought to be dug. 
Follow this rule until it becomes a habit, a part of your 
nature. Reach perfection, so far as it can be attained, 
but in everything put forth the highest endeavor. 

I think it was Oliver Wendell Holmes who said, "There 
are two things which are immortal, — a tree and truth." 
The tree may represent the earthly side of life, and truth 
the heavenly side; but God is the one great end and fact; 
and if you are linked with truth, you are linked with God; 
and if you are linked with God, the results of your work 
will be immeasurably greater than if you were linked with 
earth, and, for you, the future will be a state of everlasting 
blessedness." 

Some one said, "Within yourself lies the cause of 
whatever enters into your life." What is the character of 
your thoughts? On that depends more than you realize. 
Thoughts are living forces, each producing its kind. Good, 
happy, agreeable thoughts stimulate the brain cells to 
manufacture energy and build up the body, while immoral 
thoughts destroy energy, impede the circulation and pro- 
duce ill-health. Healthy thoughts are as essential to a 



COMMON SENSE VIEW OF STAMMERING 375 

healthy and well-developed body as virtuous thoughts to 
a pure life, so therefore infuse healthy thoughts into 
your everyday life, for health and stammering are related. 
In the proportion that our health attains perfection, will 
our stammering be less severe. It is the imperative duty 
of every stammerer to acquire such a knowledge of him- 
self as will enable him to preserve the greatest of all 
blessings, health. Do not dwell upon your ailment and 
never allow yourself to be persuaded that you are not 
complete master of yourself. Preoccupy the mind with 
the painstaking cultivation of virtue. Nothing of value 
is ever obtained without some effort or cost. You must 
not be content with present conditions, the mere creature 
of circumstance. The elements of success are around you. 
Action, ceaseless action, is the price, eternal vigilance 
leads to victory. Implant — / can, must, and will do better 
than this — deep in your mind and let determination be 
your watchword, then and then only will you exchange 
weakness for strength, impotence for power. To think 
success, brings success. Man has ever been strongly 
influenced by his ideals. The attainment of your intel- 
lectual, moral and physical perfection is your ideal. Strive 
for it no matter if it is far distant; the struggle will 
increase your powers and ennoble your character. Assume 
the part or character you desire to play in life's drama. 



THE COMMON SENSE VIEW OF STAMMERING 

AND ITS TREATMENT 

Man, in the image of his Creator, was destined for 
the highest place in the universe. But it is strange that 
he must acquire that place for himself. In the infancy of 
the race, he starts out without language, either spoken or 
written, — in fact, without speech of any kind, except that 
of the cry of the barbarian. Ignorant, thoughtless, 



37^ HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

speechless, he faces an unknown world — not alone the 
unknown Divinity. He forces his way onward and up- 
ward and by the power within he has conquered. He 
first communicates the stray thoughts that form in the 
hidden reserves of his brain to the outer world by ges- 
tures, next by his cries, and then by speech. called lan- 
guage, and finally uses symbols or hieroglyphics as the 
signs of his articulate sounds. 

Thus with four means of communication he has risen 
to heights which transcend even the imagination. But all 
men have not reached this state. They are not mentally, 
morally or physically endowed with the same charac- 
teristics. We still have here and there throughout the 
world many unable to talk. In his early childhood this 
one acquired an incorrect utterance and through the 
ignorance or neglect of his teachers and parents this 
incorrect utterance became a confirmed habit. When he 
confronts the world for place he finds a battle to be fought 
before victory can be his. Then all the powers within him 
are summoned and employed in the battle of his life. Only 
stammerers can picture the mental anguish or describe 
intelligently how this reacts on their whole nature and 
stamps its lines of desolation upon their faces — and even 
hope engendered in the human breast dies as if l>y the 
hand of self, — inadequate ability to express himself in 
speech becomes the cause of the sorrow of life. 

It is the natural desire to talk, to communicate with 
others. Human speech is the physical agent of the 
expression of our thoughts. Careful training, not only 
regarding impediments but the cultivation of the voice 
so as to express our feelings or suppress them, if neces- 
sary, and the acquisition of fluency and ease should 
engage the careful attention of every stammerer. No 
man can estimate the power, or foretell the influence we 
may exert, by the rightful use of speech. 

There is a distinction between speech and voice. Voice 
is defined, as the sound produced by the vibration of the 
vocal cords, while speech is voice modulated by the 



COMMON SENSE VIEW OF STAMMERING 377 

throat, tongue, teeth, palate and lips. However, speech 
may exist, as in whispering, without voice, and voice 
may exist without speech, but the terms are relative and 
the distinction too finely drawn for our subject. Suffice 
it to say, we must have this vibration of the vocal cords 
to produce ordinary speech. In whispering^ there is 
scarcely a tendency to stammer, which shows the anat- 
omy of the vocal organs normal. Singing, public speak- 
ing and the correct use of the same words that could not 
(a few moments before) be pronounced at all, prove 
that the stammerer's vocal organism is not affected. 
Stammering is exhibited in a marked degree in ordinary 
conversation and in personal contact. In speaking over 
the telephone, the difficulty is usually more marked. As 
a rule, it depends upon the condition of the individual. 
If the motor nerves are overcharged or irritated abnor- 
mally, no matter from what influence, either within or 
without, stammering will result, as these nerves fail to 
control the muscles involved in speech-production. Herein 
the difficulty lies and the remedy, in theory at least, is 
self-evident. Respiration is also affected by the mental 
conditions present in stammering. The motor nerves in 
respiration are the intercostal nerves supplying the inter- 
costal muscles and the phrenic nerve supplying the dia- 
phragm. Their action may become abnormal if the ner- 
vous system is agitated, and consequently the proper air 
supply is cut off, making the production of speech impos- 
sible. 

To steam and its work in the mechanism on the 
locomotive, we may compare the human mechanism which 
employs air for life and speech. The lungs are the air- 
pump of the human machine. The supply of air depends 
on the lung capacity in expansion and contraction. So 
many cubic inches are inhaled at each stroke or inspira- 
tion and so many are given out at each exhaust or expira- 
tion. The human voice depends entirely for its working 
on the flow of expired air over the vocal cords, just the 
same as the influence of the high power brake on the 



378 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

mighty engine in its onward course depends upon the 
volume and pressure in its cylinders for its effective work, 
and its smooth working to the touch of the engineer. 
Smooth speech is produced by an act of the will. In both 
cases, absolute control of the flow of air does the proper 
work, otherwise the train would be telescoped in the one 
case and the man agitated and transfixed in the other. 
Of course, the vibration of the vocal cords depends on 
their tension and parallelism, and this depends upon the 
contraction of certain muscles called crico-thyroid and 
thyro-artenoid. These muscles at the instant of volition 
give the proper position to these cords. Other muscles 
also controlling the lips, tongue, mouth and nose act con- 
junctively in voice producion, and their proper working 
depends on their controlling nerves. The nerves control 
muscular action and the nervous system must be cared 
for. All excesses in work, study or pleasure must be 
avoided. Likewise all drains upon the nervous system, 
and the uses of narcotics and stimulants must be discon- 
tinued. 

Any weak vital organ will perform its duty when 
given the power to act. This power lies wholly in the 
nerves. It is necessary, therefore, to strengthen the 
nerves, and while doing this you strengthen all the 
organs of the body. Stammering is the offspring of a 
mental condition and not a defect of the vocal organism; 
the vocal organs are, as a rule, normal in every stam- 
merer. Of course, through nervous disorder engendered 
by stammering, the organs of respiration and of voice 
may be incapacitated, but the parent cause is rooted in 
the great nerve center, the brain, and consequently the 
mind which acts through this medium. The stammerer 
may ascribe his impediment to other causes, and really 
they do affeet him to a great extent, such as colds, long 
hours of work, sleepless nights, anger, sudden events, 
etc., but all these and numerous others affect directly his 
nervous system, causing the electric current of speech 
to break and his efforts at fluent speech to become futile. 



' 



COMMON SENSE VIEW OF STAMMERING 379 

We learn in natural philosophy that every action is 
equal to a reaction and in a contrary direction. And 
thus mentally we may state that every impression that 
comes from without goes back through the nerves and 
finds expression in the human voice. The thought travels 
over these electric wires, as it were, forming the com- 
plete circuit in the living voice. If speech is stopped or 
impeded, the circuit is broken or "short circuited" and 
the mind, the human dynamo of thought and control, is 
separated from the thought, and confusion results. It 
therefore, must be again rightfully connected or continued 
stammering is the result. Determination, patience and 
practice will be necessary for this absolute control. 
Power, the talismanic word of Habid in the Arabian 
Nights, must be ours in these times that try men's souls. 
It must be the power to control, to will and to execute. 

Any one familiar with the subject of electricity under- 
stands why the armature or commutator bars and brushes 
of the dynamo produce sparking, and how the proper 
adjustment will prevent it. In comparison, it might be 
said, any one familiar with speech-production may be 
able to account for stammering and suggest proper meth- 
ods to follow in breathing and different positions for the 
speech-producing organs to assume for each sound or 
word. But, as in the one case, it takes the skill of the 
electrical engineer, so in the other, experience and skill 
will be necessary whether it is acquired through years of 
successive failures by the stammerer himself or by the 
aid of a competent instructor. In this connection it 
might be said that all the schools in Christendom cannot 
permanently cure this defect without the hearty coopera- 
tion of the pupil. The stammerer himself must work, 
mind and body, in order to effect his cure. Of course, 
the school should give intelligent and well-arranged drill, 
thus developing certain unused muscles, and adding tone 
to the nervous system, establishing confidence leading up 
to the cure through acquisition of control. 

Extraordinary diseases or defects will require extra- 



380 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

ordinary treatment. By this is not meant that unknown 
remedies are to be sought, but the careful application of 
the known ones that will produce a permanent cure. 
These must be constantly applied in order to eradicate 
the disease. There is no royal road to medicine, surgery 
or knowledge of any kind. Nor can we acquire skill in 
speaking unless by constant practice we make fluent 
speech habitual. It takes the child years to learn to talk 
rightly. The stammerer may have an advantage over the 
child in that he already possesses the thought and its 
vocabulary for expression ; but to attain freedom of speech 
itself will require a double training; he must overcome 
incorrect habits and establish perfect volition. 

The act o£ speaking should, in itself, be unconsciously 
performed. The mind should direct the thought, and 
these delicately adjusted and rapid movements of the 
vocal organs should go on by reflex action without the 
mind interfering; the thought in itself producing sufficient 
expression regarding range and modulation of the voice 
into speech. It is only when we let the mind interfere 
in bringing up the fear of another blunder on certain 
hideous words, that have been our stumbling block, that 
stammering occurs. Control the mind or keep it on the 
thought or train it to bring forth another thought, when 
these words come up unbidden, and you will not only give 
voice to the first thought, but the very words that have 
been most bothersome, will come forth easily. 

The mind should be the governor of the body. The 
nerves, muscles, ligaments, organs of circulation, of diges- 
tion, are all affected by the condition of the mind, 
again the mind is, on the other hand, affected by the con- 
dition of these organs, as there is a sympathetic relation 
between them. Therefore, a properly balanced mind must 
be secured. Without balance and equilibrium, stammer- 
ing will continue. Some diseases are eradicated by 
proper mental control. So much depends upon the mind 
that so-called magnetic sciences have been formulated, 
claiming wonderful things in the way of successful heal- 



COMMON SENSE VIEW OF STAMMERING 381 

ing, even professing by this means to effect a permanent 
cure for stammering. In any event, self-control must 
form the basis for the cure. No matter what remedies 
are applied, either internally or externally, if the patient 
cannot control his mental activities, he will never be 
able to say he is free from this defect. He must learn to 
be at ease in the presence of others and forget self en- 
tirely. Endeavor to keep fear from harassing the nervous 
system and consequently impeding the natural muscular 
action. Fear keeps the whole frame in a trembling palsy. 
Cultivate the power of concentration and, if necessary, 
bring every faculty to the rescue. Read good, wholesome 
literature and but little exciting fiction; especially culti- 
vate the acquaintance of those books and conditions that 
will bring calm to the mind, assuring rest and recreation 
to the entire system. 

As the healthy activities of life are carried forward 
by proper conditions regarding diet, air, water, exercise, 
and occupation, it behooves us to regard all things making 
for health. Your cure will be influenced largely by health, 
without which it is difficult to establish nerve control. 
The house in which you live must be taken care of, or 
paralyzed efforts will be the result. Especially is this 
true of the brain, the organ of the mind, for it is con- 
stantly undergoing changes. Changes occur oftener in 
this organ, than in any other in the human body, and it 
will, therefore, need the most careful attention regarding 
proper sleep, nutrition and exercise as a safeguard against 
its abuse. 

The organs of respiration must have their share of 
development in order to make them do their part in 
control. They are a sort of triple valve, as a threefold 
duty is performed by them, admitting air to blood, carry- 
ing off waste matter and by proper control, letting the 
air flow over the vocal cords, producing speech. This 
mechanism must work perfectly, for it is so delicately 
adjusted, one inharmonious movement will affect the 
whole mechanism and difficulty in speech will result. Walk 



382 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

erect, have a military bearing, for this distends the chest, 
developing the respiratory muscles. Exercise with dis- 
cretion, having due regard for your physical endurance. 
Train yourself to proper methods in work, study and 
pleasure and have regular periods for each. 

Every man should try to attain perfection. He should 
cultivate every faculty of his composite nature, soul, 
mind and body. Constant systematic training in the right 
direction will accomplish the desired results, as a rule; 
haphazard practice, never. The best known scientific 
means must be employed in all cases. There is no use 
to take the stage coach when we can travel by the electric 
car. No use to practice exhaustive military drills when 
gymnastics will prove the most beneficial, especially to 
the stammerer. Intelligent exercises in moderation, at 
regular times, must be practiced. The aid of a skillful 
director may have to be called in, for it's slow work to 
be your own teacher, especially so when you have no well- 
defined method of procedure or systematic arrangement 
and scientific knowledge of the remedies to be applied 
in your particular case. Courage must be the watchword. 
No matter what is attempted in the desperate game of 
life, there must be courage to carry it to a successful issue. 
The thought of never giving up, must become second 
nature with the stammerer. He must triumph. He can- 
not afford to fail in anything, no matter how trivial, as it 
will affect him in his own estimation and cause him to 
depreciate his other qualities. He must never enter with 
fear the path which leads to honor and success. Fear 
must be relegated and entire confidence in his own possi- 
bilities established. Thus achievement and mastery will 
be to his credit. This must be the key to his prevailing 
thought and this will unlock the seemingly barred door 
of expression and add to the world's work another useful 
participant. 

We are commercial as well as social beings. Our ser- 
vices in some capacity are for sale. Trades and profes- 
sions are full of competition. Our services to be engaged 



COMMON SENSE VIEW OF STAMMERING 383 

must be superior to those of our fellows. All defects 
must be concealed or removed or they will, like a phan- 
tom, rise before us to lessen our chances of success, and 
consequently lessen our value in the business world. 
Every defect in our character, in address, will be magni- 
fied in the light of strong competition. Should we seek 
honors or emoluments of office, our opponents will pic- 
ture our defects in the most vivid terms to allure the 
friendly from our support. Stammerers should not only 
get rid of their defect, but should show to the world their 
real merit and capability for the position they seek. We 
should search for knowledge and the means of ridding 
ourselves of this remorse, and, if persistent, we will not 
only find the means but permanently acquire the habit of 
earnest endeavor in every line of work in which we may 
engage. The defect in itself may be a blessing in dis- 
guise and give us an impetus to future acquisition. 

There is a distinction between stammering and stut- 
tering. The latter is a condition of the vocal organs 
where, through lack of proper control of the muscular 
action, they constantly repeat, or it may be called a dis- 
turbance of the coordinating mechanism. Stammering 
is a stoppage or failure to produce sound at all, on account 
of not retaining sufficient air in the lungs or hindering 
the vocal organs in assuming the proper forms to pro- 
duce the necessary sounds. Correct breathing and vocali- 
zation will remedy the habit of stuttering, while right 
mental training, together with proper development and 
control of the respiratory and vocal muscles will correct 
the stammerer. 

Stammerers are not by any means the most afflicted. 
We see every day cripples in body, intellect, and soul. 
Some more seriously affected than others. These defects, 
to the student of physiology, ethics, or psychology are 
just as apparent as the physical defect of stammering is 
to the world at large. The common people may not 
understand, but these exist, and in no small degree, even 
though less painful to the sufferer on account of lack of 



384 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

appreciative knowledge or because unnoticed by the pub- 
lic. The human family is peculiar in this respect, for 
there is, perhaps, not a man that is absolutely perfect. He 
may be highly educated, brilliant as a constellation, still in 
morality may be deficient. Or he may be physically perfect, 
but lacking intelectual development. He may be undevel- 
oped in body, awkward, uncouth, maimed in limb or de- 
formed; eyesight defective, having impaired and innum- 
erable defects which are worse and more unsightly than is 
stammering. This, however, does not make the stam- 
merer any less anxious to free himself from his impedi- 
ment. 

Stammerers should cultivate a courageous demeanor; 
look every man in the eye. Cultivate a genial disposition. 
Be sincere and affable. Try to maintain a friend's atti- 
tude toward work and toward those with whom you come 
in daily contact. Study human nature and your sur- 
roundings. Do not worry over past troubles nor antici- 
pate future ones. Let each day take care of itself, but 
prepare so that to-morrow will be brighter than to-day. 

There are two classes of people, those who are deter- 
mined to succeed at all hazards, and those who believe 
they cannot succeed under any condition. It matters not 
whether they are stammerers, stutterers, or without 
any defect. Those who are determined, will make all 
impediments or obstacles stepping stones in their path- 
way to success, while the other class will throw obstacles 
before themselves, magnifying them. Instead of travel- 
ing by a direct route, some take a circuitous one of their 
own. The great majority belong to this class and truly, 
as Emerson has said, "their thoughts and deeds go in 
circles, having the same radius for each new ambition or 
enterprise/' As stammerers, you must expand not only in 
one particular phase of your life, but in all — body, mind 
and soul — persevering to the end. 

Standing upon the cold, barren mountains of Nome, 
Alaska, the question forced itself upon me: "Why did 
creation seemingly leave these mighty mountains unfin- 



COMMON SENSE VIEW OF STAMMERING 385 

ished, fruitless, lifeless ?" . Was it to teach man all things 
are not on the surface, but to dig deep into the moun- 
tain to obtain the precious metals; this truth demon- 
strated by millions of dollars in gold being shipped from 
these mountains? And another thought came: if men 
would risk their lives in the mad search for gold, leaving 
home and friends, why would not a stammerer make a 
similar sacrifice for free speech? Nothing attempted, 
nothing gained. If no energy is wasted, no energy can 
be stored. It takes potential power to gain kinetic 
power. The initiative must be taken and opportunity 
grasped on presentation. Instruction is necessary. 

It is necessary to train the muscular adjustment to 
work with rapidity and smoothness and to have the 
respiratory movements in expiration to occur regularly 
and to allow a small interval of time for each sound or 
word. It is necessary to learn how we produce the con- 
sonants. It is necessary to practice vocal exercises. But 
the point is to get free from these paroxysms of fear and 
inability of utterance. Others have done so, and why not 
you? Men having once conquered this defect, have risen 
to the highest places in national life and have had their 
names recorded in the world's history. 

In conclusion, I might say the cure depends upon the 
establishment of right mental and physical conditions, 
accomplished by proper training and exercise. There 
should be effort to control the emotions. Thus started 
on the road of success in speech, new hope will appear, the 
world with its life and beauty will become to you a per- 
petual delight, the cares will vanish, the prosaic will be- 
come poetic and visions of happiness, which for many 
long years were of your imagination, will become 
realities. 



25 



MENTAL EMOTION, IN THE EXPERIENCE OF A 
REFORMED STAMMERER 

"Pins have saved thousands of babies' lives," quoth 
the small boy, reading from his composition. 

"Stop there," interrupted his astonished teacher, "how, 
pray ?" 

"By the babies not swallowing 'em," confidently re- 
plied the youngster. 

To the reformed stammerer, mental emotion is what 
he hasn't got, that, conversely, used to have him — with a 
vengeance. 

But "old things have passed away, behold, all things 
have become new !" 

The evolution of the stammerer in eliminating mental 
emotion from his economy, and expurgating the term from 
his lexicon, may be described as three stages: 

First. Earnestness. He comes, believing. 

Second. Enthusiasm. He takes hold — the means, to 
an end. 

Third. Harmony. Triumph, the reward. 

It is not straining the figure to speak of these three 
as "the graces." They are that to the reformed stam- 
merer. Faith, in the beginning. Hope, blossoming into 
Love, in fruition. 

"A three-fold cord cannot be broken." By the same 
token the stammerer becomes invincible. He has brought 
order out of chaos, harmony from discord. The world 
seemed wrong side up, before, because he was upside 
down, where now he is right side up. 

And now abideth these three. One may express it in 
nature or in the spiritual world. What is nature? God! 
What is God ? Love ! What is Love ? Harmony ! And 
in the evolution of the stammerer from the abnormal into 
the natural, harmony is the desideratum — the end. The 



EXPERIENCE OF A REFORMED STAMMERER 387 

animus of the stammerer, void of faith and hopeless, 
finds eloquent expression in the blind protest: 
"I am one, my liege, 
Whom the vile blows and buffets of the world have 

so incensed 
That I am reckless, what I do, 
To spite the world." 

In the passing of the old and the advent of the new, 
comes a mellowing, the expulsive power of a new affec- 
tion. In the arid soul of the misanthrope now flows the 
milk of human kindness. 

"And now abideth Faith, Hope and Love — these three, 
but the greatest of these is Love" — which is harmony. 
Harmony presupposes control. "Application es el solo 
modo de aprenderla" — which is the Spanish way of say- 
ing to the stammerer: "Apply yourself, and you'll 'get 
there !' " 

Your spectre of mental emotion, like the tin can dis- 
engaged from the caudal appendage of the hopeless village 
dog, is a thing of the past. 

Digressing from the technical idea of mental emotion, 
we say: The well-balanced man is equally head and 
heart. To the heart, now, shall belong the monopoly of 
emotion, and well-springs of delight, new emotions stir 
in the heart of the redeemed stammerer when mental 
emotion is banished. This hope, which has found happy 
realization in my own life, I hold out to the worst stam- 
merer. In faithful application and adherence to the 
raison rational of the ideal system which is epitomized 
in: "Deep and full, but gentle breathing, firm and easy 
vocalization, wide and free articulation." 

Its inimitable arrangement, combining the recovering 
of lost balance with admirably arranged, physical culture 
exercises ; then, vocalization ; ; finding the voice and speech 
from its elements, going back and beginning with first 
principles and intelligently and triumphantly working up 
to complete coordination, whereby the imperfect, lacer- 
ated speech, an abortion to the ear, becomes as music, in 



388 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

perfect control of the speaker, whose firm, resonant tones 
demonstrate that a defect is converted into a beauty and 
a thing of beauty that is to be a joy forever, to the erst- 
while stammerer, who appreciates that every good gift 
and every perfect gift is from above, and that the gift 
most good and perfect to him is free speech. 

The mental paralysis (mental emotion) that formerly 
preceded his pusillanimous or half-hearted attempt to 
express himself in speech, has vanished like a haunting 
dream. Just as surely as "two things cannot occupy the 
same place at the same time," or that "nature abhors a 
vacuum," so surely has he crowded out the bad by the 
good, the wrong by the right, the spasmodic and some- 
times non-responsive by the easy and natural, precipita- 
tion by deliberation, in short, the abnormal by the normal 
and graceful. 

The temporary damming up of Niagara, which lasted 
but a few hours, exposing to view the dry river- 
bed, that perhaps in many centuries human eye had not 
beheld, was no criterion of the natural state of the Falls, 
and it would be just as illogical for the uninitiated to 
argue that the hors du combat stammerer, helpless in the 
throes, is in, for him, a natural condition. 

Only the stammerer himself can eloquently feel and 
never adequately describe his sensations of misery. 

He alone can tell, who has suffered the exquisite tor- 
ments of mental anguish and humiliation of soul — the 
despised stammerer, hoping against hope with the hope 
deferred that maketh the heart sick — ten, twenty, mayhap 
fifty years without relief. 

Our "old man of the sea," with a grip at the throat 
that argues possession nine points of the law, may be 
finally shaken off. With something more and better than 
the mild curiosity of the man who first gets a glimpse 
of the back of his own head, the no-more-despairing stam- 
merer may now get His Satanic Majesty (stammering) 
by the tail and delight his friends and himself by occa- 
sionally, so to speak, twisting the same in a peroration, 



EXPERIENCE OF A REFORMED STAMMERER 389 

a la Demosthenes, just to let himself out and demonstrate 
that the stammerer has conquered and is conqueror. 

Warmly greeting, in chance meeting, the son of an old 
friend, a practical man of the day, inquired affectionately 
of his young traveling companion: "And what are you 
going to be?" "A minister of the Gospel," replied the 
young man, stammering fearfully. "Well, er, how," asked 
his blunt elder friend, "how will you be able to preach?" 
Stammering worse, but with some show of dignity, the 
young man rejoined: "The Lord will put the words in 
my mouth !" "Aye ; but who's going to get them out ?" 
remorselessly pursued the old man. 

This, to the stammerer, is the eternal question : How ? 
Our theme is the question and the answer together. Oh ! 
it's easy when you know how. You may bring a horse to 
water; you can't make him drink. Yet the stammerer, 
young or old, of greater or less intelligence, willing and 
tremendously in earnest, may banish his mental emotion 
effectually, and so annihilate his stammering. The 
writer's cure was gratifying in its speediness. 

A close acquaintance with the method pursued, 
demonstrated : 

1st. His need of unlearning wrong "methods of at- 
tack," by endeavoring not to talk hard, but to talk with 
ease — relaxation. 

2d. By trying to vocalize, not without breath, but 
with it. 

3d. In awaking to the fact that he has a diaphragm 
and that hereafter, asleep or awake, he is to live in the 
sure consciousness of that organ and its function. 

Most people are unaware, so far as consciousness of 
it is concerned, that they have lower lobes to their lungs. 
The lower lungs, properly employed, the breather is in- 
sured against attack of the apex of the lungs, where dread 
consumption begins its work. 

Nine out of ten people, perhaps, do not breathe pro- 
perly, i. e., with deep breathing. Were the necessity of 
deep breathing generally taught and followed, the fear- 



39° HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

ful ravages of consumption would be stayed and the next 
generation would be less fatally pursued by pulmonary 
troubles than the present age is by smallpox. 

It is not the purpose of the writer to technically and 
at length discuss the admirably arranged physical culture 
exercises that make the student master of natural or deep 
breathing or the "method of attack" that makes continu- 
ous sounds, vowels and closed consonants lose their terror 
in the rational method inculcated by the modern sys- 
tem and vanish like fantastic gruesome shapes and 
shadows of night before the rising orb of day. Collec- 
tively, these mean the banishment of mental emotion, the 
stammerer's "bugaboo." 

It is reiteration to point out that, futile as Ajax defy- 
ing the lightning, or the folly of butting against the law 
of gravitation, the person of normal speech who should, 
like the stammerer, in sheer violation of the laws of 
speech, attempt to utter an obstructed consonant with 
hermetically sealed lips, or aspirate a vowel on exhausted 
breath, or express a continuous sound without opening 
the lips, would succeed not half so well; or if self-hyp- 
notized, like the stammerer, into the belief that deficient 
enervation was constitutional, the same person of normal 
speech would be hopelessly mute. With stammerers, the 
standard of intelligence compares favorably, and is often 
higher than the average among the exempt. Indeed, 
close study and observation show the artistic sense is often 
finer, the sensibilities quicker, the sympathies warmer, 
the soul more altruistic. Give me a reformed stammerer 
every time for a beneficent work that calls for patience, 
devotion and self-sacrifice. 

The river, unstemmed, pours musically, rejoicing, 
where barren dryness ruled. The chained eagle, his 
fetters broken, with triumphant scream, his glance riv- 
eted on the glorious sun, soars in majestic circles higher 
and higher in the blue empyrean. Not less is he free and 
king, the redeemed stammerer, his birthright restored. 
We may deny the doctrine that the world owes every man 
a living, but science does owe the stammerer free speech. 



CORRECTING SPEECH DEFECTS 

To secure prefect speech, the stammerer is to take up 
from the beginning of his remedial efforts two distinct 
lines of training. These to a large extent will be united 
in the exercises, yet each will require a separate, constant 
and thoughtful attention until the desired object is fully 
attained. The first of these refers directly to the use of 
the vocal organs to secure perfect speech; the other to 
the development of good voice power. That these objects 
may be most surely and speedily attained, the learner 
should impress the following points indelibly upon his 
attention until complete success crowns his efforts. 

First: you have perfect vocal organs and can speak as 
well as others do. For instance, you stammer in school 
on a sentence; the teacher repeats it and tells the class 
to repeat it with him again, and you speak every word as 
easily and as clearly as they. Your vocal organs are as 
perfect as theirs or you could not do this. Mark this well, 
You have perfect organs and can speak as well as others. 
Now, why do you not always speak perfectly? When read- 
ing in concert you had no fear of stammering; you did not 
even think of it; you forgot for the time that you did 
stammer. 

Second: You must forget that you stammer. Your 
mind must be kept off your defect. Think of something 
else. Each instructor will give special directions to aid 
in this. The next point is also intended to be helpful in 
this direction. 

Third: Cultivate a determined will-power. As you 
can sometimes speak as easily and as perfectly as others, 
determine that you will do it at all times. You can do it; 
make up your mind that you will. To simply say, "I'll 
try," is not enough. It has an element of weakness in 



392 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

it; it implies a doubt; this invites failure. Bear in mind 
that you can, and throw your will-power into it. With 
all the determination of your being say, Iwill to do it. 
I will do it. I WILL. Let this be your motto. Keep 
thinking it and saying it over and over again. Occa- 
sionally change the emphasis and make the "I" strong. 
Say I will, and work for it until you thoroughly believe 
and make it true. You can succeed. You may stumble 
again and again, but do not let this weaken your will. Let 
each rebuff double your determination to succeed. 

Fourth: Stammering is largely a habit. Habit is 
formed like a cable. Each repetition weaves a 
thread of it until it becomes very strong. For years the 
stammerer has been weaving this cable, and it cannot be 
easily broken, but he can stop weaving it and begin to 
form the right habit. It will not be completed in a day, 
but it can be made strong in less time than he has been 
strengthening the wrong habit. The use of rules can 
soon be acquired under an experienced tutor, by which 
the learner can talk without stammering. The length of 
time, with fair health, depends upon the pupil's quickness 
of apprehension and faithfulness in application. But 
when the use of these rules is acquired, the cure is not 
accomplished; it is only begun. The pupil is now to 
watch thoughtfully and closely each word spoken to form 
and fix right habits of the faulty organs until the wrong 
habits have lost their power and right ones have been 
woven so strong that they will not break. Then no rules 
nor thought of them is needed. Then, and not until then, 
will the cure be complete. 

Fifth: Be cheerful. Knowing that you can speak as 
others do, and having a determined will to make it an 
accomplished fact, you certainly have good reason to be 
cheerful. Cultivate, then, a cheerful disposition as a 
habitual state of mind. Throw your will-power into this. 
Let your face show it. Greet with a smile each one 
you meet. 



CORRECTING SPEECH DEFECTS 393 

The thing that goes the farthest 
Toward making life worth while, 

That costs the least and does the most, 
Is just a pleasant smile. 

So smile away; folks understand 
What by a smile is meant; 

It's worth a million dollars and 
It doesn't cost a cent. 
Look right into the eyes of the one addressed when 
you speak. Do not let the countenance fall or the face 
turn away, as stammerers often do. Feel that you are 
as good as they, with determination to be so in speech. 
This you can do by your will-power, and the doing of it 
will strengthen that power. Do not let failures daunt you. 
Who does not make mistakes? 

Sixth: Erect position. Stand up, as a man should, 
in a natural, erect position, just as a trained soldier 
stands. The West Point graduate is a good example of 
the man who is to conquer.- Head up, face directly 
forward, chest high. Assume this attitude and maintain 
it at all times; when you walk, stand or sit; when you 
rest, read, write or eat; anywhere, everywhere. If you 
are inclined to stoop and cramp the chest, it will help 
correct the fault if, while standing or walking, you force 
the center of the chest far up. It may be difficult to 
establish this bearing, but it is important in securing 
well-developed chest and lungs which are necessary for 
good voice power. It also improves the health, and 
without good health it is impossible to have the best use 
of the voice. 

Seventh: The nostrils are the proper external organs 
of normal breathing. Healthy persons do not keep 
the mouth open to breathe. Only under some 
abnormal condition, such as the stoppage of the nasal 
passages or violent exertion, is the mouth properly used 
for breathing. Let the pupil bear this in mind and 
always breathe through the nostrils. Keep the mouth 
closed when not speaking. In talking and reading, first 



394 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

inhale a natural breath, not too full, with the lips gently 
closed, and in speaking, open the mouth as the syllables 
of the words require. Incorrect breathing is not the 
cause of stammering, but is often the outgrowth of it, 
and if one will see to it that he breathes correctly there 
will be less stammering. 

Finally: Never be caught off your guard. Eternal 
vigilance is the price of liberty here, as well as on other 
battlefields of freedom. Take this as a precaution: 
always when going to speak, thoughtfully close the lips, 
inhale in a natural, easy manner, and then begin instantly 
but calmly. 

Arrange a program for your day's work and carry it 
out as regularly as you can. Begin and end the day with 
some breathing and vocal work. Do not weary the vocal 
organs by too long practice of reading or other exercises 
at one time. 

While endeavoring to overcome your defect, strive for 
concentration on the work in hand. Avoid late hours, 
narcotics, intoxicants and excesses of every kind. Reserve 
all your forces for this victory. Make it sure. You can 
succeed if you will. 



STAMMERING PSYCHOLOGICALLY CONSID- 
ERED WITH SOME PRACTICAL SUGGES- 
TIONS OFFERED AS TO ITS CURE 

The seat of the mind is in the gray matter of the brain, 
the intellectual centers being in that portion known as 
the frontal lobes. 

In mental operations we evolve thought, which causes 
a slight elevation of temperature, a rearrangement of the 
brain cells involved and necessarily an expenditure of 
energy. 

The brain in its many subdivisions contains many 
centers which have for their ends the control of functions 
situated in the physical organism; for example, the mus- 
cles concerned in the production of speech are connected 
by means of nerves (or wires) with a special center in the 
brain which has for its office the power of commanding 
through impulses transmitted by these nerves or wires — 
perfect articulation. 

In all except the stammerer such perfect harmony 
exists between the muscles concerned in speech and the 
special center that the result is easy speech without fear 
of trouble; but to the stammerer quite another picture 
presents itself. Having failed to enunciate properly so 
many times in his early youth, he develops a mental con- 
dition known as mental emotion which, to the stammerer, 
is the fear of the inability to speak; such a condition 
leading to high nervous tension, which in turn is mani- 
fested physically by great rigidity or spasm of the muscles 
of the mouth and great effort at production. 

There is in his, the stammerer's case, then, a lack of 
discipline of the muscles of the mouth in responding to 
the mental commands given. Now, to remedy such a 



396 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

defect, the natural suggestion would be to bring about 
discipline, and the next question would be how may that 
be accomplished to the best advantage. In treating this 
all-important question, if the reader will follow me I 
shall endeavor to state in a practical way the principles 
which should bring about discipline if properly carried 
into execution. As to the first cause — fear or mental 
emotion — attention to the following truisms will prove 
beneficial : 

i. The action of any organ in the body can be in- 
creased, diminished or completely arrested, by pricking 
with an instrument the center of control in the brain; 
this scientific fact has been demonstrated hundreds of 
times, thus proving that the condition of the nervous 
system governs the individual. 

2. Fear will cause disease by deranging the system — 
the emotion of fear frequently upsets the stomach, de- 
stroys appetite and has even caused death. 

3. Trouble is always preceded by the fear of trouble, 
which proves ten times worse than the real thing. 

4. Nervousness is an effect, not a cause, but we allow 
nervousness through fear to become the producer or cause 
of our stammering, when if we dispensed with fear as the 
first cause we would immediately do away with the stam- 
merer's worst enemy. 

5. The fear of fie inability to speak correctly pre- 
cludes the possibility of speaking correctly, owing to the 
fact that fear depresses the center which controls speech. 

6. Fearing impending danger adds ten fold to the 
danger; as an instance — the man fearing the inability to 
overcome approaching danger suffers a greater shock and 
sometimes dies as a result of such; whereas a stronger 
nervous organism would have pulled him through and 
even caused an escape by collected energies being able to 
organize successfully against the object. 

7. Fear is imaginative only; as an instance — a brave 
man had never lost his nerve on the approach of any 



STAMMERING PSYCHOLOGICALLY CONSIDERED 397 

outward danger, but he could not stand a dark room — 
which reminded him of ghosts and other stories heard in 
his youth. 

8. Fear to the stammerer is like carbonic acid gas 
pumped into one's atmosphere; it causes mental and 
physical asphyxiation. 

9. We are the sum of our impressions. 

10. Things that we know to be untrue may become 
a reality by constant repetition. 

11. A good way to remain cheerful in your work is 
not to say, I've only accomplished ten per cent of my task, 
but to say, I've only ninety per cent more to accomplish. 

12. Trouble is big enough when it comes, without 
your building upon it before its arrival. 

13. The best way, I know, in which a stammerer may 
control such emotional phenomena that arise in him, is to 
think of what disasters follow the anticipation of trouble 
and how he may prevent them by refusing to acknowl- 
edge the primary factor or cause which is the fear of 
trouble. 

14. It is known that every normal change is for the 
better; it stands to reason that proper mental and physical 
exercise in restoring or giving renewed tone to over- 
sensitive nervous and muscular fibres, by causing a rear- 
rangement of their cells, would prove most beneficial 
indeed. 

Confidence will take the place of fear if allowed to do 
so. The principles for the cure of stammering enable you 
to talk so unhesitatingly that you are inspired by confi- 
dence. The following are some of the principles which 
prove all-important factors in relieving one of his diffi- 
culties. 

By "method of attack," we mean the mental and physi- 
cal application of certain principles which enable you to 
produce certain sounds, syllables or words difficult of 
utterance. To begin with, in touching upon the practical 
application of certain principles, I might mention as the 



39^ HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

fundamental principle, that of opposition which is the 
underlying principle all the way through. 

In the effort to enunciate those sounds which cause a 
complete obstruction of the breath, such as in the sound 
of the letter p, you have here excessive mental desire 
for utterance, accompanied by physical effort, which is 
unnatural. The remedy, viz.: mental relaxation, accom- 
panied by little effort, using the whispered utterance is 
suggested. 

In those letters which continue their initial sound 
without change, such as noted in the letter s, the man- 
ifestation is continuous effort at production. The prin- 
ciple of opposition still holds good, viz.: for excessive 
mental desire for utterance, the opposite is advised; (i) 
mental relaxation; (2) physical relaxation of the muscles 
as contrasted with rigidity, and (3) the open position of 
the mouth. 

As to the vowel sounds, I will say the syllable con- 
struction of a word is governed by the number of vowels 
contained therein; there being always a vowel in every 
syllable. Now, it is known that stammerers have very 
little trouble with vowels except at the beginning of a 
word. It is scientifically known that in stammerers hes- 
itating on vowels, the vocal cords concerned in the pro- 
duction of sound and the glottis (that point where the air 
leaves the windpipe and enters the throat and mouth) 
become closed. The remedy for such a condition is 
again founded upon the principle of opposition, viz.: a 
lowered tone of the voice, which immediately causes a 
relaxation and opening up of the glottis allowing an 
escape of the sound in question. 

The knowledge of these principles is, of course, essen- 
tial, but of far more importance to the stammerer is the 
fact that he should be extremely careful and persistent in 
the application of them. It is not a question of being 
cured at the time you are cured, but of remaining cured 
for all time. This requires a willingness, confidence, 
determination and persistency in the application of the 
methods advised. 



STAMMERING A PSYCHIC DERANGEMENT 

Stammering! What a world of woe is suggested by 
this little word ! It pierces the heart of the unforunate 
like a poisoned arrow. It reminds him of many years 
of misery gone by, and of many more to come unless he 
be able to avail himself of treatment. It shows him a 
thousand faces of scorning friends (?) and, perhaps, not 
one that respects him. Sorrow, reproach, and indigna- 
tion seldom allow his heavy brow to clear. 

Experience is certainly the best way of acquiring a 
knowledge of anything, and to a stammerer, his trouble 
will generally be uppermost in his mind, because he is 
painfully reminded of it day after day. It would seem 
probable by this that even a stammerer of limited judg- 
ment and in unfavorable circumstances might have some 
reasonable ideas about his impediment. Being myself 
until my cure afflicted with this trouble from my early 
chillhood, I will venture to show briefly my conceptions 
of the causes, the cure and the results of stammering and 
stuttering. 

Speech is the spontaneous outflow of the mind and 
character. You may immediately detect by the voice and 
articulation of any person some traits of his character 
and also of his mental powers. The ruffian does not speak 
like a refined gentleman, and a dunce has never that inde- 
scribable ring in his voice, which is a characteristic of 
every well-gifted person. I, therefore, believe that a hesi- 
tating speech comes to the lips of some persons just as 
naturally as fluent language to others, and that the causes 
of stammering are to be sought either in the mind or in 
the character, not in any derangement of the organs of 
speech. It is true that the difficulty consists chiefly in 
the inability to utter words or sounds on account of an 
abnormal condition — probably a contraction — of various 



400 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

muscles in the mouth, throat, etc., but these physical 
manifestations can on no grounds be regarded as the 
primary cause of stammering and stuttering. It is evi- 
dently a mental difficulty or derangement. 

But where in the psychic part of man could a defect 
arise that would cause the functions concerned in the pro- 
duction of speech to operate in an unnatural manner? 
The first and apparently most truthful idea would be that 
the stammerer's mode of thinking is similar to his articu- 
lation, that he thinks in a precipitous or sluggardly or 
illogical, irregular manner. Experience has evidenced the 
contrary. Although the stammerer's train of thinking 
may be greatly disturbed, this is solely affected by over- 
powering emotions, not by a stammering propensity. To 
mention my own case, when I stammered I admit that my 
thoughts were very often confused; but generally this 
seemed to be the mere result of mental agitation. 

A defective mode of thinking can not be considered as 
the origin of stammering. The true cause must, therefore, 
lie in the whole disposition of a person. If this is the 
case, a stammerer's disposition must be such as to hinder 
his fluent speech. He has no special traits of character 
that cannot be found in anybody else. This is shown by 
the fact that anyone may stammer or stutter occasionally 
when he is perplexed, afraid, distracted, or in a passion. 
His predominating traits are sensitiveness and diffidence. 
Sensitiveness in itself does not necessarily produce speech- 
hesitation. Many persons may be even extremely sensi- 
tive, and yet talk without difficulty. The reason is evi- 
dently that their mental speech-centers receive sufficient 
stimulation by their nerves and will, to overcome the emo- 
tions to such a degree that their speech is unaffected. 

A stammerer, however, has not this counterbalance 
when the difficulty arises. At first, he lacks the necessary 
will and concentration to overcome his agitation, and soon 
he will also be quite diffident, nervous, and wavering. Does 
this argue, then, that a stammerer must always have less 
self-control and less will-power than others not affected ? I 



STAMMERING A PSYCHIC DERANGEMENT 4OI 

think not, for when is the trouble generally acquired? 
Commonly, when the child is between four and ten years 
of age. If such a child is gifted with a vivid sense and 
quick thought and, perhaps, also with a fiery spirit, its 
undeveloped will may be entirely overswayed while talk- 
ing. I hardly believe that such deficiency of will in a lit- 
tle boy or girl can be regarded as a great fault. The 
fault is not the child's lack of energy, but rather the 
ignorance of the parents and teachers, who could easily 
eradicate this defect. 

By all this we see that the stammerer's energies may 
be relatively superior to those of other persons; however 
one would expect his energy deficient, in proportion to 
his great sensitiveness. Most people get along very well 
with a minimum of will-power, as others have a will 
for them. They do their work faithfully, because they 
fear the wrath of their superiors or because they 
must toil incessantly, in order to gain a livelihood. 
They are seldom strongly tempted to follow their desires, 
because their fantasy, sensibility, and intellect remain in 
an undeveloped state as long as they live. They are not 
affected much by the beautiful. Unless a shock is likely 
to crush them, they will not stir. If they are left alone 
for a half hour, they will fall into a peaceful slumber. 
Quietly they plod along through life like a machine. But 
generally these people meet with success wherever they 
go. No business men and few teachers expect from their 
subordinates more than a faithful and regular perform- 
ance of labor. Such people, therefore, prosper, are highly 
self-contented, and admired and honored by everybody. 
And justly so, for they are all very honorable men. Who 
would dispute this ? The only, inevitable fault with which 
they may be charged is, that they judge the whole world 
according to their own nature, and, therefore, despise as 
deeply as their cold hearts admit, the stammerer, who is 
differently disposed. 

But to return to the subject. The stammerer is rather 
unbalanced. At any rate, he requires more will-power, 

26 



402 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

more self-control, and more concentration to overcome 
powerful emotions than others require who are blessed 
with a natural speech. His deficiency in this respect is 
undoubtedly the primary cause of his trouble. But, of 
course, all this does not imply that a speech defect could 
not be acquired in any manner. Any mental or physical 
derangement may be caused in different ways; but at the 
root of the most of them there is a certain process of 
forming and developing which is taken (on the whole) as 
the typical cause of each special trouble. This is also the 
case in stammering and stuttering. It may be acquired by 
sickness, accidents, mental disturbances, etc. But an at- 
tempt to individualize cases, to state examples, or to treat 
this vast subject thoroughly, would be entirely impossible 
here. 

I have not dwelt so long on the above to insinuate 
that a stammerer's disposition must be superior to 
that of others, or that he is always innocent of the 
accusations which have ever been heaped upon him. No- 
body can deny that a stammerer may commit any sin or 
offense of which any one is capable, nor is it indis- 
putable that by vice the impediment in question may be 
caused; but the thing which I wish to show clearly is, 
that a person may be of an irreproachable character and 
quite respectable, yet be a stammerer. This is often 
denied. 

From all this it must appear clear that, in a treatment 
for stammering and stuttering, the abnormality of charac- 
ter must be considered, in order to remedy the extreme 
sensitiveness, the diffidence, or whatever else may affect 
the speech of the sufferer. But how is this achieved? 
Obviously by external influences which will operate on 
the mind and soul in a favorable manner. The conditions 
and surroundings in which a stammerer is living, ought to 
be such as to raise his spirits, kindle new energy, and 
direct his thoughts intensely to the suggestions given to 
effect a cure. All unnecessary idle diversions, for instance, 
must be avoided. He ought to associate with bright and 



STAMMERING A PSYCHIC DERANGEMENT 403 

sunny people. It may be objected that this is more easily 
said than done. True enough, the position of a stammerer 
in society is not enviable. He is unfit to bear the wear and 
tear of life. He looks in his early youth to a friend for 
a support, but will find it quite difficult to secure one. 
This may grieve him deeply, but is nevertheless the nat- 
ural consequence of his attitude towards his surroundings. 
Let him look to himself for help. Let him be the archi- 
tect of his own fortune. Let him be happy, self-contented, 
and pleasant, and — he may rely upon it — there will soon 
be others about him. A smile begets a smile, a frown a 
frown. The immutable laws of nature will not conform 
to his mood, but he must conform to nature's laws. 

True happiness is a great prerogative. If the stam- 
merer can attain that, his trouble will be less severe, his 
health will improve, and he will be better off in every 
way. Gayety is emblematic of life, sorrow of death. 
Therefore, be happy and contented at any price — not with 
the face only, but from your inmost soul. An apparent 
hilarity is not sufficient to produce the same effect as a 
radical change of the deepest sentiments. There seems 
really to be diffused about the unfortunate an atmosphere 
which will ever betray the sentiments of his heart. 

Although stammering is a mental, rather than a physi- 
cal, abnormality, any simple test will show very soon that 
a treatment intended as a remedy to the mind or disposi- 
tion only, is in no wise sufficient to effect a complete cure. 
Stammering originates in the mind, but it always devel- 
ops more or less into a mere physical difficulty or habit. 
It will be admitted by almost every stammerer that he 
may lapse into his unfortunate manner of speaking even 
though he is neither embarrassed nor confused, yea, that 
he is liable to stammer even under the most encouraging 
circumstances. The trouble is that anybody who is often 
confused to such a degree that he stammers, will soon be- 
come more and more accustomed to his peculiarity of 
speech. Very soon it will be quite natural for him to 
stammer, and in his brain the idea will continually be- 



404 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

come more deeply fixed that he cannot speak otherwise. 
This belief may be so firm and steady that even in his 
dreams a stammerer will talk in his usual stammering 
manner. The same person may, therefore, stammer at one 
time on account of a lack of concentration, at other times 
from mere habit he will use his organs of speech in an in- 
correct manner, because he firmly believes that he must 
stammer. Each stammerer has to some extent his own 
peculiarities, but all the -various manifestations will yield 
readily to the same general rules that are set forth for all 
stammerers. They are, in short words, a series of ex- 
ercises. But will not also these physical defects disappear 
gradually after the will has been sufficiently strength- 
ened? The assertion that everything can be attained 
through will-power is older than the pyramids of Egypt 
and to humanity, just as useless. 

The condition of the body is also of great importance. 
Everything that adds to the health and vitality must be 
considered. Regular physical exercises are especially 
commendable, because they give more self-reliance and 
insure discipline. Bad habits, that lower the spirits and 
undermine the health, are the worst enemies to the stam- 
merer. Even an occasional hardship or sickness increases 
the trouble greatly. The cause of this is easily understood 
if it is acknowledged that stammering is primarily a 
psychic derangement. 

The question may arise: How is a stammerer to 
be treated and what can he do for himself if his circum- 
stances do not allow a course of treatment for a cure? 
To answer this question, is a puzzle just as great as to give 
instructions how to treat a sick person without allowing 
him a physician to attend to his disease. He must be 
cured. This is the best advice. He is a burden to himself 
and others. Whenever he stammers, it is a nervous 
strain on his hearers, and if he is in their midst, a quiet 
and meditating listener, he will be troublesome to them 
also. Any person who stammers should make it his ambi- 
tion to break these shackles as soon as possible. The stam- 






STAMMERING A PSYCHIC DERANGEMENT 405 

merer is often very much to be blamed for his negligence : 
he should not harness himself sullenly into the yoke and 
plod wearily through existence, but rather abandon every- 
thing and try his utmost, till his terrible inpediment is 
removed. It will hardly be possible for all business men to 
spend several hours daily in lingual and gymnastic exer- 
cises, nor can the average student afford to abridge his 
hours for study so much without neglecting the prescribed 
duties. It is, therefore, necessary to let all business or 
studies rest for a while and to concentrate all ener- 
gies on the one point; that of a complete cure. Cir- 
cumstances may arise, of course, where such a loss of time 
is impossible; but a mature person will generally find 
means to do what he considers as absolutely necessary. 
It is in this respect, as Carlyle says : "Fortune may render 
you unhappy, but it is only yourself that makes you des- 
picable." With stammering children, the case is different. 
They are under the care of their parents and teachers. 
If they have already reached a suitable age, they ought, 
where possible, be sent to a reliable institution. But if 
this cannot be done, the child should not be neglected. 
It is wrong to send a stammering boy to school, where 
ha can never progress as he ought to, and it is wrong to 
accept him at any school; stammering is contracted by 
sensitive children. 

The stammerer should be trained before going to 
school. This should not be neglected. It cannot 
be denied that a stammering boy is a person very 
difficult to deal with. Much kindness will only foster 
his sentimentality, lack of will-power, and make him care- 
less about his impediment. Severity, on the other hand, 
will generally take his last bit of self-reliance or make 
him embittered, haughty, and petulant without helping 
him in the least. The best way would seem to be to treat 
him just as other children; but this is also wrong, because 
he is not like the others. Words that are taken in good 
humor by his comrades, may offend him deeply, and, if the 
authorities are correct, you cannot expect as much from him 



406 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

in any respect as from other children. It requires, there- 
fore, much tact, patience, and energy to induce such a 
child to govern his turbulent nature and do his duties 
diligently. It is certainly a great but common fault to 
let a stammering pupil struggle his way through the school 
without anyone attempting to help or advise him. A plain, 
warm admonition would sometimes be of immense benefit 
to the inconsiderate youth, and a short outline of appro- 
priate exercises to remedy his speech defect would, prob- 
ably insure to the teacher for his whole life the love and 
gratitude of the ex-stammerer. 

In considering all this, it is at once clear that by 
observing these two points — the psychic and the physical 
side of the trouble — a perfect cure of any ordinary case 
of stammering ought to be possible in a comparatively 
short time, providing the method employed is rational as 
well as effectual. Shall the stammerer's sensibility 
be eradicated or shall his modesty be replaced by 
insolence ? Never ! The effect may be ever so good 
upon the speech, upon the whole person it is the worse, 
and it would, indeed, be better to remain a stammerer than 
to become an unfeeling block or a pretentious fool. It 
is not by destroying or repressing those traits of the char- 
acter of the stammerer, which may often be the finest and 
most precious part of his nature, that the cure can be 
effected, but rather by directing it to the right and normal 
path. On the other hand, the embarrassment may be due 
to an excessive pride and vanity. This extreme egotism 
does not allow the stammerer to act in a natural and easy 
manner, if observed. If such is the case, all this must, of 
course, be discarded entirely to relieve the unfortunate of 
the burden which he is to himself. This is all achieved, 
as shown above, by appropriate and regular exercises and by 
a correct mode of living. Therefore, all that is lacking to 
the stammerer may be comprehended in the one word — dis- 
cipline. Discipline in the widest sense. Discipline in every 
way, discipline of the body and soul, of the physical as well 



STAMMERING A PSYCHIC DERANGEMENT 407 

as of the mental faculties. Such is the cure of stammer- 
ing. 

It is strange beyond belief that very few people, even 
persons of high education, do not seem to acknowledge 
that continual speech-hesitation has any lasting effect 
whatever upon the sufferer. And yet this is the very thing 
that makes stammering so horrible, for a person must, in- 
deed, be of a strange disposition if it does not make an 
impression on him to be ridiculed, despised, or at best 
pitied by every person with whom he converses; to be at 
the foot of the class in school, and the last to be trusted 
with any responsible position in life. Even in the most 
amiable and inocent soul, dark and bitter thoughts may 
arise, and the youthful mind may easily be impressed so 
deeply by the countless hardships and apparent cruelties of 
teachers and companions that he looks gloomily on this 
fair world, which was, indeed, not intended as a place of 
misery. And how soon may not this intensified sentiment 
develop to anger with man and God, to lasting misan- 
thropy, and even far greater perversions. 

But this is an effect produced by mere outer circum- 
stances only. It cannot be denied that a sensitive person 
will often see afflictions where there really are none at all. 
Life in any shape contains pain enough for hearts so 
disposed. There are, however, other direct and indisput- 
able results of stammering. In the whole creation, a 
tendency prevails to maintain perfect equality or sym- 
metry. This may be seen in occurrences of every day life. 
But we need not go far to observe the truth of this asser- 
tion. Nowhere is the tendency to establish and preserve 
a true balance and perfect symmetry more apparent than 
in man himself. Every abnormal condition in the body 
will create to a certain degree a similar condition in the 
soul, and every defect in the spiritual being has its 
physical consequences. The stammerer is not excluded 
from this universal law. The results of his difficulty are 
partly physical and partly of a psychic nature. To discuss 
the physical effects and possibilities thoroughly, would 



408 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

require the learning of a student of physiology. I will, 
therefore, confine myself to a few facts that are apparent 
to everyone. 

Every stammerer breathes incorrectly. This is a 
result of his agitation and of his futile efforts to speak 
fluently. He has actually forgotten how to use the lungs 
correctly while speaking. Often he will begin a sentence 
with empty lungs. The strain which ensues on these 
organs is often terrible. The energy used to press out the 
word, without the necessary air, will sometimes strain the 
muscles of the breast and abdomen to such a degree that 
the worst consequences may follow. Furthermore, the. 
throat itself and the vocal organs, with their delicate 
mechanism are greatly affected. The stammerer often 
speaks in a high pitch, which seems to be the result of the 
lack of air or his excessive energy. The continual strain 
will soon play hovoc with his voice and make him disposed 
to disease of the throat and chest. These are direct 
results. Others, such as nervousness, etc., are more in- 
direct, but not less serious. The stammerer is depressed 
or despondent. This state of mind is, undoubtedly, of the 
greatest harm to health and is sufficient to break down, in 
the course of a very few years, the constitution of the 
healthiest person. Therefore, a stammerer who continues 
to suffer should not expect (more than any other person 
that carries with him a continual grief), to live very long. 
The effects of stammering and stuttering are far- 
reaching, and most persons afflicted with the trouble do 
not realize at all how much harm this speech difficulty has 
done them. It would be unjust to say that every stam- 
merer is subjected to all the baneful influences of his 
defect. He may resist, and, undoubtedly, does to a degree. 
Still the danger is imminent, and it requires a strong and 
unyielding spirit to resist. Most stammerers are known 
for their lack of will-power, which may also be a direct 
result of speech-hesitation, for at every vain attempt to 
speak, the stammerer is again thwarted in his determina- 



STAMMERING A PSYCHIC DERANGEMENT 409 

tion to express himself fluently. This continual defeating 
of the will, is apt to end at last in absolute imbecility. 
Very much akin to the weakening of the will is the aver- 
age stammerer's lack of concentration. Could he con- 
centrate all his thoughts better on one object, he would 
certainly throw off very soon that infirmity of revolution 
with all its tormenting and enfeebling consequences. A 
great temptation and danger to the youth that stammers, 
is to indulge in endless dreams about his difficulty, to 
form useless plans, and to look in the ideal world for the 
pleasures which he cannot find in the real one. If a sen- 
sitive boy stammers in class, he will not forget the humil- 
iation and torture in a few minutes and apply his mind 
to the studies as readily as before, but will rather be in- 
clined to brood over his misfortune. Undoubtedly, he 
will make an attempt to pay attention, but if the torture 
is repeated again and again — as it must be — he will find 
it very difficult to subdue all thoughts about his sorrowful 
experiences. This continual intruding of different 
thoughts is, in other words, nothing else than a deficiency 
of concentration or attention, the indispensable requisite 
for progressing in any business or study. His instructors 
are generally indulgent towards him, but very seldom 
understand his condition. Some, however, are convinced 
that the stammerer's ambition and will-power must be 
roused, and that this can be effected in no better and faster 
way than by stern treatment, and frequent employment of 
sarcasm. Such scorning or careless attitude of his rela- 
tives, teacher and friends is very harmful to him. The 
stammering child may even begin to think disrespectfully 
of all that treat him in this way. What a mistake ! The 
most loving and well-educated parents may do the same 
thing. It is not unkindness of the heart that prompts 
them; it is their ignorance of the stammerer's trouble 
that induces them to do what is not approvable. 

O, what a curse to this world is ignorance ! It has 
done more harm to humanity than malignity, pride, and 
passion combined. It has made whole nations a herd of 



410 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

frenzied fanatics and created for millions a miserable life 
and for many a shameful death. A stammerer must 
suffer greatly on account of the general ignorance in 
regard to his defect. Most people that despise, scorn, and 
taunt him would not do so, if they knew anything about 
his sad affliction. Few persons would be wicked enough 
to increase his burden, if they only knew the depth of his 
pain, and no parents or guardians could be so inconsiderate 
as to expose their stammering child alone and helpless to 
the rigid demands and duties of life. 

Stammering and stuttering is a serious trouble, and I 
wish that every stammerer that glances over the lines in 
this book may some day look back to the trying days of his 
youth, and exclaim with a thankful heart: "I have con- 
quered !" 



THE EVOLUTION OF A STAMMERER. 

Once upon a time there was a Little Boy who stuttered. 
Well, why not ? He wouldn't be a boy if he didn't stutter 
a little. But he grew a little, and he stuttered a little more. 
Then the Little Boy's Papa said to him : "Boy, you must 
not stutter. It is exceedingly unpleasant," and the Little 
Boy's Teacher said to him : "Boy, you must not stutter. It 
takes up too much time. I will whip you if you do so 
again." • . 

But they did not tell the Little Boy how to stop, so he 
didn't, because he couldn't. Moreover, he reasoned, "they 
used to think it 'cute' when I stuttered a little; now, why 
isn't it 'cuter' when I stutter more?" 

And the Little Boy grew to be a Tolerably Big Boy. 
And he still stuttered. Then the Tolerably Big Boy's "Gov- 
ernor" called him, and administered a tweak to the Toler- 
ably Big Boy's ear. "Boy, why do you disobey me? Why 
do you ardently persist in manifesting your unpleasant 
impediment so pertinaciously. Now go?" And the Toler- 
ably Big Boy's Teacher said to him: "Boy, you still stut- 
ter. Why do you disobey me?" and she vigorously ap- 
plied the birch. "Now stand here in the corner as an 
example of disobedience to others." 

And the Boy's "Governor" and Teacher both agreed that 
he would outgrow the stuttering; but in the meantime 
he must be kept well in check. The Teacher was kind 
enough to give him a little advice : "Now, Boy, think be- 
fore you speak, and you will not stutter." 

And the Tolerably Big Boy grew into a Big Boy. It 
was still advisable to keep him under discipline, so the Big 
Boy's Teacher still kept him in the corner with the dunce's 
cap on his head, for an example to the others. It was sur- 
prising to note how beneficial the discipline was to the 
erstwhile disobedient Boy, for he obeyed his Teacher's 
advice to the letter, sometimes stopping as often as three 
times in one word, and of course, then, when he stopped 
he would have plenty of time to think before he spoke. 



412 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

Then the Big Boy grew to be a Youth, but the Youth 
stammered, and he came to view the World through indigo 
spectacles, and wore a face as long as Deacon Goodboy's, 
and half as wide. Then the Youth's "Old Man" called to 
him and said: "Boy, you have been an undutiful son to 
me, — a disobedient son, you have had every advantage, 
every help to make you the great man I planned, but you 
disobeyed. What are you but a stammerer ? I am bitterly 
disappointed in you. Here is your portion of this world's 
goods. Take it, and go." 

So the poor Youth took the purse and turned into the 
world. Surely everyone could see the brand of humilia- 
tion and disgrace upon him, he thought. But the world 
rushed madly, swiftly by, and the Youth, unused to its 
ways, stood dazed and helpless, alone in the unpitying 
throng. 

"Ah, this is not the place for me," the Youth sighed, 
and turning into a lane, pursued his solitary way. On and 
on he went, led by impulse. The lane widened into mead- 
ows, and presently he came to a beautiful little dell. 
Throwing himself prone upon the ground, he drank in the 
beauty and quietude with ecstasy. Around him, to form a 
fairy alcove, the green earth rose to broad heights. Over 
its water-worn brink a little stream leaped and tumbled 
and sang in its plunge to the dell below, where it continued 
its winding way in the lowland, through a grove, now leap- 
ing, now dancing, to the tune of feathered songsters. "Ah ! 
here is what I love and need — nature, nature, nature!" 
And he murmured: 

"To him who in the love of Nature holds 
Communion with her visible forms, she speaks 
A various language. * * * * 
Go forth under the open sky, and list 
To Nature's teachings." 
"May she indeed be my teacher, for I have none other," 

he moaned, and he was sopn lulled to sleep by the musical 

song of the waterfall. 



B 



THE EVOLUTION OF A STAMMERER 413 

He awoke, much refreshed, both in body and spirit. 
One of the first greetings to his ear was the continuous 
soft, musical, plash, plash of the little waterfall. "How dif- 
ferent this sound is from that which my Teacher used to 
bring before me: Now remember what Shakespeare says 
about your stuttering. He says it is like water pouring 
from a jug, 'either too much at once, or none at all.' 
Why did she never bring the other side before me and 
tell me to make it continuous, musical, like this waterfall? 
Ah ! they were always telling me what not to do. Why 
did they not tell me what to do ?" 

For a long time the youth mused. He had been taught 
to reason, to philosophize. In nature he had been taught 
that all forces and laws under the same conditions bring 
always the same results. This waterfall represented the 
ideal, nature's force, working along its line of least resist- 
ance; the water pouring from a jug represented the force 
of nature, perverted. To explain the cause of the latter's 
action, he had but to compare the conditions of the two. 
Make the conditions the same, and lo ! the same results. 
But he had come to think of all the reasoning he had been 
taught to do, as relating to the earth, the moon, the stars, 
something apart from himself; something far, far away. 

But now as he mused the eloquence of nature glided 
"Into his darker musings with a mild 
And healing sympathy. " 

"Beauty born of murmuring sound passed into his face." 
A deep understanding came to him. "If the speech 
of a stammerer is like water pouring from a jug, then the 
speech of a perfect speaker is like the natural waterfall. 
Remove the unnatural conditions, making the conditions 
the same, and lo ! perfect speech !" 

It seemed strange to him that he should never have 
thought of this before. And yet it was not strange ; for in 
all his life, the thrusts had been made against his speech 
as it was, and no ideal had been placed before him to 
attain. Now both the perverted and the natural were 
brought before him so plainly as to invite reason. 



4*4 HOME CURE FOR STAMMERERS 

And the Youth rejoiced; for now he had a definite 
course to pursue. He took from his pocket his Book of 
Universal Knowledge, and studied carefully, Normal 
Speech, in all its parts and relations. How delicate, how 
intricate, how wonderful is the mechanism of speech! 

First of all, he learned, that for the best results in 
speech, the body and mind, the servants of speech, must be 
kept in the best condition, and he learned that each touch 
of ill-health, each emotion, whether of joy or sorrow, love 
or hate, pain or pleasure, has a direct influence upon 
speech. He found that this also was true in the waterfall ; 
each drop of rain, each breath of wind influenced to a 
degree its ripple and song. And he endeavored to lead 
that temperate life, that Nature's child shall lead, for 
Nature's child. 

******* j n roc k an( j pi a i n) 

In earth and heaven, in glade and bower, 
Shall feel an overseeing power, 
To kindle or restrain." 

Then he learned that, what the water is to the waterfall, 
breathing is to speech; that, as the waterfall cannot be 
deep and regular unless its stream of water be so, speech 
cannot be regular and continuous unless its supply of 
breath be so, and he took care to perfect his breathing. 

Next he learned that speech is vocalized and modified 
breath; that as each tone of the waterfall is characterized 
by the rock or cavity the water strikes, so the sound of 
each letter is characterized by a definite arrangement of 
the vocal cords, tongue, teeth or lips; that there is only 
one way to make the sound of the letter a, one way to 
make the sound of the letter b, and to make the sound of 
the letter c, and he dropped the old method of chance, 
and took the new unchanging method. 

Thus he had labored on to perfect speech, but all this 
was not accomplished in a day; it took weeks and months. 
Oft-times he grew discouraged, but he still persevered, 
and by so doing gained will-power and concentration. 



THE EVOLUTION OF A STAMMERER 415 

During all this time Nature had been his teacher in all 
ways. She had fulfilled her prophecy: 

"The floating clouds their state shall lend 
To him; for him the willow bend; 
Nor shall he fail to see, 
Even in the motions of the storm, 
Grace that shall mould the manly form 
By silent sympathy." 
The rhythm and music of the waterfall had passed into 
his speech; "the beauty born of murmuring sound" had 
taken up its eternal dwelling place in his countenance. 
"And vital feelings of delight 
Had reared his form to stately height." 
Thus the Youth had passed into Young Manhood. 
Long since, he had thrown the indigo spectacles into 
the pool at the foot of the falls, and the water descending 
had dashed them to powder upon the rocks. The world 
now held for him no terrors. He must return to it for his 
own strengthening, as well as for the good of others. 

So leaving the dell, he passed through the meadows and 
the lane, into the World and up to his home. The Father 
greets him at the door : "What ! Who ? Not my Son ? 
Is this some miracle?" 

"No, my Father, it is no miracle. It is the result of 
careful, persistent, systematic reasoning and application 
of knowledge." 

But the Father cares not how nor wherefore. He puts 
a ring upon his finger, and makes a feast for him. To the 
World he says, "Behold my son — my pride — all mine." 
And the old Teacher comes forward, modestly ( ?) and 
says, "Behold the result of my early labors. Pleasant is 
the result of honest toil !" 

Years afterward, when worn and weary, the Young 
Man, now passed into Old Manhood, turns in fancy to the 
dell, a feeling of calmness and peace steals over him. But 
long, long years before, in the delf, he gladly bade fare- 
well to 

"The memory of what has been, 
And nevermore will be." 



THE PRACTICAL TREATMENT OF 
STAMMERING AND STUTTERING 

By GEORGE ANDREW LEWIS 

A MOST COMPLETE AND INSTRUCTIVE TREATISE 
PRACTICAL AS A GUIDE FOR HOME INSTRUCTION 

Analytic, plain, persuasive and clear. Arranged especially for any 
who are unable to attend a stammering institution. Its explanations 
are pointecL and comprehensive, yet so simple that anyone can readily 
understand all that is written. The exercises contained in it for the 
overcoming of difficulty on particular sounds are illustrated^ in a 
manner that makes clear to the reader, methods that are practical in 
effecting the cure. It tells in plain, simple words how to breathe 
properly, how to vocalize, how to exercise in order to accomplish 
lasting and permanent results. It contains a complete system of 
physical exercises arranged and adapted especially for the cure of 
stammering and stuttering. 

It is a book of valuable information intended especially as a 
guide for those who (for any reason) are unable to attend an institu- 
tion for the cure of stammering and is a text book for those who can 
attend. 

It contains a new method for the cure of stammering, by George 
Andrew Lewis, embodying in its text illustrations showing the correct 
positions of the organs of articulation for the enunciation of difficult 
sounds and words. 

Its theories on the cultivation of the voice are based on years 
of observation, study and practical experience. 

It deals with stammering in every form, and illustrates in a 
practical manner the means for overcoming word difficulties. 

It explains fully how to overcome difficulties of utterance on any 
and every sound likely to cause stammering. 

It tells how to overcome abnormal habits of respiration, and con- 
tains a complete series of breathing exercises arranged especially for 
the correction of stammering and stuttering. 

It teaches correct vocalization and aims to overcome all difficulties 
of utterance arising from an incorrect use of the voice. 

It contains a system of tongue exercises, valuable as an aid in 
overcoming facial contortions. 

It deals with the mental condition in stammering, the source from 
which all difficulties arise. 

It contains a valuable record and table of statistics showing the 
source and extent of stammering and stuttering in innumerable cases. 

It discusses child stammering and offers many valuable suggestions 
to parents for overcoming tendencies of this character manifested in 
their children. 

It tells how to diagnose a case of stammering or stuttering. 

It is valuable to any interested in vocal culture, as well as to 
stammerers and stutterers. 

It contains many helpful exercises and choice selections for 
practice . 

Numbers have testified that the study of this book, with the practice 
of the principles that it teaches, has cured them of stammering. 

Bound in Cloth [416 Pages], Cover Stamped in Genuine Gold. 

PRICE, $2.50. 

GEORGE ANDREW LEWIS, 35-41 Adelaide St, DETROIT, MICH. 



